You can take the boys out of Neverland
by WinkyCutto
Summary: The Lost Ones don't like having to live by the rules and Henry and his family are about to find out that bringing them back to Storybrooke may not have been the best idea... Hook whump galore, you have been warned.
1. Chapter 1

**Takes place somewhere before mid season 4, slightly AU. Fisrt attempt at Fanfiction so be kind.**

His teeth clipped the dirt momentarily before his head was yanked back by a hand in his hair. He could feel a knee pressing into his back between his shoulder blades, keeping him firmly pressed against the ground, unable to move he grunted as his left arm was twisted up towards the unmoving knee.

"Where's that saviour Mom of yours now, huh? Do you "believe" she is gonna save you?" the disembodied voice sneered into his ear.

Henry grit his teeth as his arm was wrenched a bit further up his back before suddenly being let go and the knee lifted from his back allowing him to scrabble a few feet forward, flipping himself around to sit on his butt and face his attackers. He was surrounded by a group Lost Ones, the ones who had not integrated into Storybrooke life, the group that blamed him for Peter's death. Henry knew he was in trouble, he was not afraid to fight when he needed to but this was not a fair fight, this was six against one.

"Probably off kissing that damn Pirate somewhere."

Devin paced towards Henry, dropping into a crouch in front of him, a look of disgust on his face.

"That traitor forgot the rules of Neverland all too quickly, falling in love with a girl! He should have stayed and faced up to his crimes like a man instead of running away like the coward he is."

Devin stood up abruptly making Henry jump in surprise, the group of boys laughed loudly at his distress.

"Don't worry Henry, this is just the beginning, no big finale today, we'll save that for another time shall we? We're not going away Henry, remember that. You are the one that brought us here, you are the one that broke our family up and you are the one that is going to regret it. Family is important Henry don't EVER forget that and don't underestimate what we're prepared to do to keep our family together, here, in your land."

Devin's foot connected with Henry's cheek before he could raise his arm to defend himself sending him sprawling onto his back as stars jumped in his vision. He could hear the howls of laughter as the Lost Ones took off into the trees leaving him staring up into the blue sky above. As the adrenalin in his system began to drop he could feel every scratch and scrape on his skin. His chin throbbed terribly as did his left cheek, he was probably going to have a black eye, great! He winced as he sat himself up and took stock of his torn clothing, he'd lost a few button off his shirt and his jeans had a large tear in one of the knees exposing the bloody skin beneath. His Mom was going to freak, wait, BOTH his Moms were going to freak. He couldn't go home looking like this, he'd have to get cleaned up and think of a good excuse as to how he ended looking like he'd gone ten rounds with a professional boxer.

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Henry's mind was racing, he'd decided to head down to the public washroom at the docks, not many people used it and he'd be able to get cleaned up before trying to head home and change his wrecked clothes without either of his Moms noticing. He kept in close to the buildings with his head down hoping beyond hope that nobody stopped him on his way. As he passed the clock tower he took a quick glance up at it and noted that it was 3:45pm, he should have time to get done before either his Mom or Grandparents got home. Picking up his pace he crossed the street at a jog and headed toward his destination, he took one final glance over his shoulder before he turned the corner outside the Library and ran full force into someone sending both of them sprawling onto the pavement. The air whoosed from his lungs and for a moment he couldn't breath, his chest locked in spasm, black spots were starting to dance in his vision when he felt something touch his back triggering him to gasp and oxygen to surge back into his system. The coughing fit that followed seemed to last an eternity but finally he got his breathing under control enough to squint at the person at his side who was rubbing soothing circles on his back.

"That's right Lad, just keep breathing, deep breaths now. You took quite a tumble, that's it, just keep taking deep breaths"

Henry could see the concern on Hook's face as the world came back into focus, he suddenly became very aware that he was once again on the ground. Hook stood and extended his hand out to Henry pulling him to his feet.

"Care to enlighten me as to where you were headed in such a hurry that you failed to notice a fully grown, leather clad Pirate in your path and why do you look like you've been brawling in the dirt Lad?" Hook's easy smiled failed to hide the concern in his voice.

Henry sighed but said nothing, he couldn't bring himself to look Hook in the eye, he knew he couldn't trust himself to not tell him the truth and right now he wasn't ready to share. Devin had threatened him but he'd also made a veiled threat against his family, Henry didn't want to make matters worse than they already were but he also knew he couldn't handle this alone, he was torn.

Hook sighed "Come on Lad, let's get you back to the Jolly and get you cleaned up" he put his arm around Henry's shoulders and tugged him into his side. Henry could feel the warmth of Hook's body and it was a comfort, he knew that he could trust him, knew that he'd do anything to help him, he smiled up at him as they started their walk towards the dock.


	2. Chapter 2

**I hope you guys will stick with this story, I have already completed it and it is loooooong... hoping that you are all gonna like it!**

Henry was being too quiet and Killian didn't like it, the Lad was usually bouncing around asking all kinds of questions about the numerous artefacts that were displayed within his cabin, each holding a story and adventure in the boy's eyes but not today, today he was too damn quiet and Killian was determined to get to the bottom of it.

"So, where were you off to in such a hurry then m' Lad?" Killian raised an eyebrow to emphasise his question.

"Nowhere..."

Killian remained silent, both brows now raised in a look of disbelief. He knew if he stayed quiet there was a good chance that the Lad would feel the need to fill in the silence. Henry looked nervous then gave a half truth, Damn that boy had learnt to much from him already!

"I needed to clean my face up before going home"

It was almost a whisper but Killian took it as a good sign, he would get Henry to talk but he needed to tread carefully, the boy was frightened. Sighing loudly Killian moved off to a large trunk that was situated at the foot of the bed quickly returning with a brand new first aid kit. It was Henry's turn to raise both eyebrows now in surprise.

"What? I do know how to purchase goods from your stores, even if sometimes the proprietors do not appreciate the value of doubloons" Killian added just the right amount of indignation to his statement for Henry to see through it.

"My Mom bought it, didn't she?"

Killian raised his hand and scratched behind his ear, usually a nervous tick but this time it was planned, he was trying to get Henry to relax.

"Aye Lad, you got me..." he smirked at Henry who broke out into a wide grin.

Killian genuinely struggled with the box for a few minutes.

"Blasted thing, I could have bled to death by the time I got this infernal thing open!"

He was on the point of smashing his hook into the lid of the box to free it's contents when Henry reached over and popped it open in one easy move.

"Why is everything in this world so damn hard to open?" Killian groused.

"It's got a safety clip, it's to stop kids getting into it"

"And apparently one handed Pirates" Killian added under his breath.

Killian reached over and started taking random things out of the box and looking at them, what the hell was a triangular bandage?!

"I'll admit Lad, I am a tad confused as to what I am supposed to do with many of these items"

Henry grabbed a couple of things from the box then walked around Killian to the large mirror attached to the wall in the corner of the room where he proceeded to open up one of the little packets and clean his face. Killian watched as Henry brought the wipe to the cut on his bottom lip and winced loudly, it must have hurt. Killian took three long strides towards Henry, he spun him around to face him and tilted his face up so he could take stock of the damage. Killian ripped open another of the wipes with his teeth, good God, it tasted horrible, what the Hell? He spluttered and muttered curses under his breath as he worked on cleaning Henry up, all the time Henry avoided eye contact with him. He finished quickly, grabbed the used wipes and empty packets and headed back to the table in the centre of the room.

"So are you going to tell me what happened or do I have to guess?" looking quickly to Henry for an answer.

"Do you promise not to tell anyone?"

Killian sighed, "Henry, I can't promise that, I'm sorry but what I can promise is that you can trust me, I promise that I will do everything in my power to help you, no matter what trouble you are in." he paused looking at Henry's nervous face. "How about we head to Granny's? Ice cream? I will send a texted message to your Mum and let her know that we will collect her together at half past five. If you wish to impart your tale upon me I am willing to listen, if you simply want to enjoy the ice cream, that will be your choice, no pressure"

Henry raised his eyes to meet Killian's a small smile on his lips and gave a small nod.

"Great" Killian exclaimed before running to the cabin door where he looked back over his shoulder at Henry and smirked "Last one there's a rotten egg, oh and they have to tell Ruby that they found wolf hair in their ice cream!"

Sprinting up the wooden stairs to the quarter deck he could hear Henry's yells of "No way!" and footsteps following him, he smiled to himself knowing that he'd get to the bottom of this mess if it was the last thing he would do. He was laughing loudly as he ran along the street, he could hear Henry approaching but Granny's was in sight, the laughter died on his lips as Henry first caught up to him then overtook him just in time to get there first.

"You young man need to stop growing! You know I let you win that race, right? I couldn't have you embarrassing yourself in front of Ruby" he lent forward and pulled in a few hard breaths still unsure as to how he had lost.

"Whatever you say old man" Henry shot back.

"Hey, how many three hundred year old Pirates have you seen that can even walk never mind concede in a race to a young Lad a fraction of their age?" Killian quipped back

"Touche" Henry added with a grin as he pushed the door to Granny's open and they both came face to face with Ruby. He turned to Killian and they both could not control the laughter that escaped them, Ruby looked confused for a moment then annoyed before slinking off towards the counter.

"Right m' boy, what'll it be? Strawberry or Chocolate" clapping a hand on Henry's shoulder and guiding him after Ruby. Henry looked at him like he'd asked the most stupid question in the world and in unison they both said "strawberry" then laughed.

"You two seem very happy today, what are you up to?" she eyed them suspiciously

"Nothing" the both chirped again in unison which caused their grins to become even wider. Ruby didn't look impressed at the thought that they were laughing at her so Killian paid for the ice cream while Ruby continued to give him the stink eye but he held both her gaze and his smile, he thanked her politely before heading over to the corner booth with Henry in tow to wait on their sundaes. Killian liked being in Henry's company, it was easy, simple and very enjoyable. They sat back both with smiles still on their faces as Ruby approached and placed the sundaes in front of each of them, she had just bid them good day when Killian had an idea, if he was going to have Henry's trust he had to prove that he was a man of his word.

"Uhm, Ruby" he said, schooling his features into one of complete sincerity. Ruby turned with a questioning look on her face. "You seem to have lost something" he added.

Ruby looked around puzzled and even Henry looked over the edge of the table for some lost item, "No, I don't think so" she replied.

Killian held up his hand, one single short hair held between his forefinger and thumb, smirk now fully back on his face.

"I didn't know strawberry ice cream came with free wolf hair" he chuckled.

Henry's jaw dropped open in surprise he looked from Killian's smug face to Ruby's livid one but as they both sat there watching for Ruby's next move a slow smile appeared on her face, she leant in really close and plucked the hair from his fingers and held it closely inspecting it carefully. A grin split her face and she declared

"Sorry Hook, not mine, when I turn, I turn into a black wolf, this hair is clearly gray therefore it must belong to you"

Killian spluttered and looked indignant, it was one of his hairs he knew that but it was NOT gray, HE was not going gray.

"Two can play at your game Pirate, just remember who has very sharp teeth for three days of the month when you decide to try and make fun of them next time" she gave him a smile and a little wave before she turned on her heals and strutted her way back over to the counter leaving Killian quite red faced and Henry practically rolling on the floor with laughter.

"I do not have gray hairs" he mumbled under his breath as he picked up his spoon, he looked at Henry who was trying his best to stop laughing but failing "Stop" he said, trying to look stern "I don't have gray hair!"

"Come on Hook, Ruby was playing you. She knew exactly the comment that would hurt the most, of course you don't have gray hair" Henry chuckled as he scooped a large mouthful of ice cream into his mouth.

Killian threw another look at Ruby behind the counter and she smiled broadly at him, he couldn't help it, he gave a chuckle to himself before turning his attention back to Henry and the ice cream before them.


	3. Chapter 3

The pair had chatted for a while about nothing in particular until it was time to head off to the Sheriff's Station to meet up with Emma, they were strolling down the main street, Henry was being particularly quite and thoughtful, Killian watched the boy as he obviously fought an inner battle with himself until suddenly he stopped walking and blurted out.

"It was Devin and the Lost Ones" Killian remained silent, giving Henry a chance to go on. "They've been kinda horrible to me for a while now, they have been following me home from school, shouting things at me, you know that kind of stuff, which I could totally handle, you know? I mean I don't care what they think of me but today was different, today they surrounded me, pushed me to the ground then threatened me and... they threatened you guys too"

When Henry finally met Killian's gaze, he could see tears pricking the corners of the boys eyes and the rage inside Killian was palpable but he tried to keep a lid on it, his hand curled into a fist at his side and his jaw ticked as he struggled to contain his anger.

Henry carried on, almost in a pleading tone " I knew that they were struggling to settle in here, I tried to be nice to them but they blamed me for Peter's death. I didn't know what else to do so I just ignored them when they started being nasty, I thought they'd get bored of it but it's just got worse. Today was the first time that they've actually hit me though but I don't want to have to try and avoid them, they threatened me and my family today, what if they go after one of you guys too?" he looked totally lost as tears began to trail down his face. Killian put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Henry, we will deal with this as a family. If you want I will discuss it with your Mum on your behalf but rest assured m'lad ,that is the last time those boys will lay a finger on you. If I get my hands on those little imps I swear they'll wish that they'd never been born."

"No!" yelled Henry "I don't want anyone to get hurt, not even..." he trailed off as Killian met his eyes.

Killian was shocked, did Henry really think that he would hurt the Lost Ones, he realized quickly that by past events Henry was probably within his rights to have fears but he had changed, he was no longer the man he was, he would never hurt a child now no matter how wild they were. No, he would work with Emma and David to round up the boys and deal with them legally. The Lost Ones had been causing enough chaos across the town to allow the law to deal with them sufficiently. Only the night before they had smashed the windshield on David's Police cruiser as he was patrolling which had nearly ended with David driving into Mr Gold's shop front. Killian sighed, reached forward and tilted Henry's chin up so that he was looking him straight in the eye.

"Henry, I promise you that I will not lay a single finger on any of the Lost Ones in an act of violence, this I vow to you with my word" He smiled as the boy's face which seemed to relax a bit but he couldn't help but notice when Henry's gaze dropped to his hook. "Or hook" he added with a smile as he raised the appendage up and gave it a slight wiggle as if to emphasize the point. Henry gave a small nod.

"Would you really speak to my Mom for me?" he asked sheepishly

"Of course, if that's what you want. All I know is that this has gone on long enough Henry, it needs to stop, now. I will talk to your Mum after you have retired for the night, I'm sure she will understand but she will probably want to talk to you herself in the morning" he gave Henry's shoulder one last reassuring squeeze as they started walking once again towards the station.

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Emma looked up as Hook entered the station followed by Henry, she smiled widely as Hook quickly approached her with a quick "Hello Love" and dropped a kiss onto the top of her head as she sat at her desk.

"Hey Kid" she started to greet her Son but the words morphed into a gasp. "Henry, what the hell happened?" she exclaimed.

"My fault Love, we literally ran into each other earlier and the Lad took a bit of a tumble" Hook looked apologetic.

"God Kid, did you land on your face or did Captain Clumsy over there land on top of you" she asked him with concern as she studied his bruised face.

"Hey, I didn't come off Scott free either you know" Hook exclaimed as he showed her a large scrape that ran the length of his right forearm "But we are made of tough stuff us men folk" he pointed first to himself then Henry "We'll live to fight another day, right Lad?" he threw Henry a wink.

"Right, I'm fine Mom, honest" he gave her a reassuring smile then looked at Hook as if to check that everything was OK. Emma looked between the two of them as they both tried and failed to act casually, they were definitely up to something. She narrowed her eyes at Hook but he just smiled sweetly at her then sauntered over.

"Ready to go Love? I hear your Mother is cooking dinner and I'd hate for us to be late" he gave her a strange look that she couldn't quite place but got the feeling he was trying to steer her away from the Henry matter.

"I'll just be a sec, why don't you guys start locking up while I just file this report away."

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Dinner had been a pleasant affair, Killian was now sitting in one of the comfortable chairs as the family around him watched the television and chatted about the movie that was playing. He was watching Henry as he sat on the floor at his Mother's feet exchanging opinions on who was the best character and how they would ultimately win the day. He smiled to himself, he wasn't sure when it had happened but he had found himself a part of this family in front of him and for the first time in centuries he found that he loved the company, things had changed, he had changed and he was happy. He was brought out of his musings when a bottle of beer appeared in front of his face.

"You alright? You looked to be a million miles away" David asked

Killian accepted the beer with a nod of appreciation, "Aye Mate, it's just nice" he pointed the neck of the bottle towards the family in front of him, no further clarification was needed and David raised his bottle in salute to the sentiment as he settled back into his own chair. Henry was laughing hard at Emma's indignant calls as her favored character was thrown off a cliff by Henry's, the movie finished a few minutes later and Emma declared that it was time for Henry to go to bed. After a few playful moments of Henry complaining and trying to negotiate a better deal he finally relented and bid everyone goodnight. Mary-Margaret came into the room a few minutes later carrying the young Prince in her arms, she hummed softly as she headed to the kitchen area, busied herself for a few minutes, grabbed a couple of snacks then headed back over to the group dropping herself into the empty space next to her daughter on the sofa. Emma immediately turned and started cooing at her baby Brother, Killian couldn't help but smile at how happy Emma seemed. He sighed as his thoughts returned to Henry and the band of miscreants that had been terrorizing the poor lad for weeks. Emma looked up at him in that moment and immediately her posture changed to one of concern.

"Right, out with it. What's going on? You look like you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders"

Killian hated how she could read him just as easily as he could read her. He sighed heavily sliding forward in his chair and placed the half empty beer bottle on the table in front of him.

"Remember my run in with Henry earlier?" she nodded so he continued "That's not exactly how he hurt his face Love" he raised his face to look at hers, her features blank so he retold Henry's story from earlier, giving as much detail as possible.

"Are you alright Love?" he asked when the tale was told, her face was stoic, for a few minutes he wondered if she was ever going to speak.

"Am I alright? You ask if I'm alright. My Son was beaten up by a bunch of hooligans this afternoon and my boyfriend hid it from me, the one person I thought I could trust above all others hid THAT from me." her voice was calm but her face was growing redder.

"That's not how it was Love..."

Emma cut him off "That's EXACTLY how it was, you should have told me" her voice was growing louder now "MY Son was attacked and you're telling me that you honestly thought that I'd be OK with you hiding the fact. I am his Mother, I had a right to know, YOU are not his Father Hook, it is NOT your place to deal with these things, that's my job. I can't trust you anymore, not with Henry, not when you can lie so easily to me"

That one stung, how could Emma say these things to him. She was standing now, he could see her trembling as she tried to control her rage. "I suggest you leave now" she spat out at him as she turned around and stomped up the stairs to the small bedroom in the rafters where Henry slept.

Killian slowly raised himself up and grabbed his leather jacket off the back of the dining table chair as he passed on the way to the front door with David following closely behind. David placed his hand on the apartment door in front of Killian momentarily stopping him from leaving.

"You know she didn't mean that, right?" he said

"Really? She seemed pretty certain to me" he almost whispered, his eyes fell to his hand on the door handle in front of him. "You know it took a lot for me to get Henry to open up to me, he wanted to deal with this by himself. I'd do anything for that boy and his Mother." he raised his eyes to meet David's "I would never pretend to be the Lad's Father, Baelfire was and always will be his Father, I am not worthy of the job, after all I am apparently nothing more than an untrustworthy Pirate" with that he yanked the door open and stormed out before David could stop him. He needed a drink and this time beer would not be sufficient.


	4. Chapter 4

David was livid, never in a million years did he ever think he would side with the Pirate over his own Daughter but in the case she was wrong, he knew that she had said things in anger, things that she didn't truly believe but it was what she had said that had surprised him the most, she knew that Hook wanted nothing more than her trust and had proved time and time again that he had earned it so to throw it back in his face was just wrong. Hook would walk over hot coals bare foot for both Emma and Henry and it was about time someone reminded her of that fact. He slammed the door closed and stormed back into the apartment only to find that Mary-Margaret had beaten him to it...again!

"Emma! How could you say those things? Hook was only trying to help, what was he supposed to do? Turn Henry away until he consulted you? Or worse bring him straight to you after Henry had confided in him and break Henry's trust!" Mary-Margaret threw her arms wide in exasperation.

"He had no right to keep it from me" Emma yelled at her Mother

"Did he?" David shot out, Emma turned in surprise at her Father's voice. "Did he keep it from you? Or did he try his best in a bad situation to do the best thing for Henry? The boy has obviously been trying to deal with this himself and Hook finally got him to confide in him, Hook never promised that he wouldn't tell, he made it quite clear to Henry that that's exactly what he would do and that you would be speaking to him about it in the morning and yet you don't seem happy about that. This is not about you Emma, this is not about Henry telling Hook and not you, this is about doing what is best for your Son and from where I'm standing, in this instance, the person doing that was Hook"

Emma grabbed her head in both hands, eyes screwed shut in frustration, she let out a long sigh and peeked one eye open at her Father.

"God, I've messed up haven't I? I am such an idiot. I got stuck on the fact that Henry had talked to Killian before me and just saw red, of course he was only trying to help, that's all he ever does and I just keep throwing it back in his face."

David stepped forward and enveloped her into a hug "He'll understand Emma. When it comes to Henry we all know that you would do anything to keep him safe." he paused and gave a small smile "Maybe you were a tiny bit jealous that Henry confided in Hook and not you, you are so used to him telling YOU everything that it hurt when he told Hook first." he looked her in the eye now, holding her chin in his hand. "You know it doesn't mean he loves you any less but Emma you need to understand that Hook is a part of Henry's life and like it or not he has become some what of a Father figure to him, Henry looks up to him for guidance. " he paused for a second before carrying on. "If you ever tell that Pirate that I said any of this I will deny it, you know that, right? But Emma he is not the man he was, he's changed, he's changed for you AND for Henry, he's a good man"

Mary-Margaret joined in their hug as they stood at the bottom of the metal staircase and Emma took real comfort from her parents loving embrace.

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It was dark and there was a distinct chill in the air as Kilian made his way down the main street with one destination in mind, "The Rabbit Hole", their rum may not be up to his usual standard but it would get him drunk and right then that's what he wanted. His mind was racing, how could things have turned sour so quickly? He's been happy, he'd felt part of the family but at the first opportunity Swan had turned on him. He should have known better, he was a Pirate through and through, what did he know about family? Emma clearly didn't trust him with her boy and that one hurt, he'd do anything for both of them and had hoped that he had proved it many times over but obviously not, one incident and she had thrown the trust card back in his face, nothing had change from that very first day on that beanstalk. Anger surged through him and he roared in frustration, slamming his hook into the nearest mailbox. He lent heavily on it for a few seconds trying to bring his breathing under control, he knew that he was over reacting and that Emma had not meant the things that she said but he couldn't help letting his mind run wild with all his doubts. He was so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he jumped in surprise when someone spoke behind him.

"Well well well... a bit angry tonight aren't we Captain" it was that Hellion Devin, looking every bit as twisted and evil as Pan ever had.

"Do not mess with me tonight Boy" Hook snarled through gritted teeth. "I am in no mood for any of your antics. Go find your beloved Lost Ones and have one last night of freedom because come Morning you and your little band will wish that you had never crossed the people of this town. You were offered everything, a home, an education and you dismissed it all for what? Fun and games? That might have been all well and good in Neverland but here, here you will grow up, you will not remain boys forever and tomorrow you will learn another crucial lesson of this land, it's called the Law and you boys should know one thing, you should never have crossed the line with Henry. The people of this town love that boy. There is not a single place that you can hide where you will not be found and believe me when you are caught you are going to wish you had chosen the comfortable life that you were offered."

"Oh, I'm scared" smirked Devin "What is Sheriff Savior and her crew going to do? Round us up and give us a good telling off?"

It was Killian's turn to smirk now "Not this time boy, I do believe they have a thing here called "Youth Detention", that means you and your little friends are off to jail, no more running around free to do as you please. You are going to be locked up for a very long time, maybe you'll learn some manners while you are in there!"

There was a fleeting look of shock on Devin's face but in an instant it was gone "You'll have to catch us first Pirate" he yelled as he ducked down the street, he continued to yell as he ran "If I'm going to jail in the Morning, I may as well have some fun tonight" with that he bent down, grabbed a rock from the ground and swiftly threw it through the front window of Granny's Diner before running off towards the woods. Killian ran to the front of the diner, he could hear a commotion inside and thought he heard Ruby yelling for an ambulance. He was torn between going into help and chasing after the boy. An instant later the decision was made, there were plenty of people inside the diner to help, if he went after the boy he could maybe find their camp. No one had had any luck finding it up to now. He took one last glance at the broken window before taking off up the street after Devin and heading into the dark fumbling in his pocket for his "talking phone" as he went.


	5. Chapter 5

**Things start to pick up from now on, thank you to those who have reviewed, it makes me happy to know that others are enjoying my tale. I will try to update as often as I can but life gets in the way of fun far too often for my liking. Thanks for reading, enjoy. xx**

Emma broke the hug muttering something about needing to find her cell phone, David smiled at Mary-Margaret who had tears in her eyes.

"You go call Hook," he said to Emma, "You" he turned to Mary-Margaret "Go sit over there and relax, I'll make hot cocoa for all of us" he got two appraising looks so headed off to the kitchen. He was putting the cups on the counter to be filled as Emma finally found her cell phone down the side of the sofa just as it started to ring, it was probably Hook. He busied himself for a few minutes warming the milk, not listening to the conversation that was happening on the other side of the room when his own cell rang. He pulled it from his pocket as he removed the milk from the heat and looked at the display, "Hook!" He looked at Emma quickly, she was still deep in conversation with whoever she was talking to. David answered the call fully intent on telling Hook to get off the line because Emma was just about to call him but as he raised the phone to his ear he stopped, something was wrong, it sounded like Hook was running. David turned his back on his Daughter and lowered his voice,

"Hook, What's going on?" getting no immediate answer David nervously glanced over at Emma who gave him a small smile as she continued her own conversation. David could still hear running footsteps and began to wonder if he'd been butt dialed when Hook's breathy voice came down the line.

"Hello? David, are you there Mate?"

"Yeah, I'm here. What's going on?" Hooked relayed the events from a few minutes ago then added "I'm headed into the woods, I'm not far from the wishing well, traveling east towards the Toll Bridge, a little assistance wouldn't go amiss"

"I'll be there soon, do not do anything until I get there Hook, I want to catch them as much as you do but I want them in one piece"

"Don't worry Mate, I promised Henry that I wouldn't touch that little cretin and that's a promise I intend to keep" and with that the call disconnected.

David turned back to Emma as he put his cell back in his pants pocket, she had obviously finished her call and was grabbing her boots to head out, he gave her a puzzled look.

"That was Ruby, someone..."

"Put a rock through the diner window" David finished

"How'd you know?"

"Hook saw the whole thing, it was Devin. He's following him at the minute, I'm going to meet up with him, maybe we can finally find the Lost Ones hide out. You go to the diner and don't worry I'll tell Hook that you were about to call him. I'll bring him to the station later, hopefully with some Lost Ones in tow" he pecked a kiss on her forehead as she stood to grab her jacket then he turned to Mary-Margaret "Why don't you head to bed? It's getting late."

"I'm fine, I'll just put Neal down. I'll sleep better when I know those boys are in custody and you two are both back in the arms of your loved ones" She gave Emma a pointed look., Emma just rolled her eyes.

"OK Mom, I get the idea, I have a lot of grovelling to do. I'll see you later"

David chuckled at his two favorite girls, grabbed his own jacket and headed out to his truck with determination in his stride, this was ending tonight.

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Killian could make out Devin's silhouette up ahead, the sky was clear and the moon gave off just enough light to be able to see where he was going. Devin was clearly unaware that he was being followed, he was running and jumping into the air, bouncing off of any obstacle that got in his path, giving great whoops of joy as he went. Killian figured if he kept in close to the tree line he'd have a better chance of staying hidden but it made it more difficult due the the trip hazards caused by tree roots, he'd already nearly ended up face down in the dirt twice already. He rubbed his elbow as once more he tripped and managed to save himself on a large tree trunk, sighing loudly and muttering a few choice curse words he ducked down low and continued up the path. Devin gave a particularly loud whoop as he launched himself off a fallen tree stump, coming down into a crouch in the middle of the path he remained deathly still as if listening. Killian skidded to a halt and threw himself against the nearest tree just as Devin looked back over his shoulder for a few seconds before taking off at high speed down a smaller track that led off the main one. Damn it, he must have been spotted. Killian took off at a sprint too, all pretense gone, he needed to catch up to at least have an idea of where Devin was headed. After a few minutes he broke out into a large clearing, dropping his hand to his knee as he tried to catch his breath, he had been running hard but had still lost sight of the boy, now he was really annoyed, cursing to himself he reached into his pocket and grabbed his phone, he was just about to call David when he heard movement up ahead. Squinting into the darkness to tried and see what had made the noise, he took a few tentative steps forward and came face to face with a young, very frightened looking boy, he looked petrified, eyes wide in shock.

"Stay away from me" the boy yelled

"I'll not harm you boy" Killian replied, holding his hand and hook out in front of him in a peaceful gesture. The boys eyes fell on his hook and grew even wider in fear.

"Stay away, I don't want to die" the boy moved back a few paces and raised a small sword up in front of him in what he probably thought was a threatening manner.

"I'm not going to kill you Lad" Killian smiled at the boy, trying to reassure him. " You are but a boy, I wouldn't kill a boy now would I?"

"Wouldn't you? You say you wouldn't kill a boy but you have..." the boy was crying now but there was also anger in his voice, he took one step forward into the light and raised his sword. "You killed him, you killed my brother and I was left all alone"

In that instance it hit Killian like a physical blow to the gut, he knew who this boy was. He studied the boy's face, how could he have not seen it the minute he laid eyes on him, so familiar but different, younger, softer but definitely related. This boy standing before him was Rufio's brother!

"For a long time I wondered if you were sorry for what you did, Tink told me it was an accident, that you didn't mean for it to happen and that you were truly sorry and that's why you left Neverland. I wanted to believe her so badly but Peter always said that you killed Rufio in cold blood and fled the island because you were a coward. Then you came back, you came back to find Henry and I heard you" the boy readjusted his grip on his sword, taking another step forward, Kiliian stood his ground. "You threatened Felix, using MY Brother's name. Do you even remember what you said to him as you held a blade to his face?"

Killian stayed still, he couldn't deny it, he had used Rufio's name as a threat against Felix, he sighed and simply replied "Aye"

"Remember what I did to Rufio? That's what you said... I have been so stupid, I actually believed Tink over Peter. I won't make that mistake again, Devin says that you are no good, he'll be back soon by the way, he says that you are going to pay for what you did to Rufio"

"You've got this all wrong you know" Killian rushed out, he really didn't like where this was going.

"What? What have I got wrong? Tell me Pirate, what have I got so wrong? Did you or did you not kill my Brother Rufio?" he'd meant it as a rhetorical question, there was no doubt in Killian's mind to that but Killian needed to set him straight, he looked the boy straight in the eye, giving the statement as much meaning as possible and said.

"Actually, No"


	6. Chapter 6

Emma pulled her bug up outside Granny's, the lights from the ambulance dancing across her windshield as she threw the door open. She knew that she could easily have walked to the diner but figured that as she needed to head to the station when she was done and that it was getting late she'd take the easy option. She felt emotionally drained, this was the last place she wanted to be, she wanted to be with Hook, safe in his arms where he'd forgive her, where she hoped he'd forgive her. She sighed as she looked up, she could make out a figure sitting on stretcher at the rear door of the ambulance, two EMTs were blocking her view but she already knew from her earlier conversation with Ruby that it was Granny being tended to. She resigned herself to her task, sucked in a deep breath and marched towards the familiar figures milling about outside the front of the diner, Ruby's exasperated voice could be heard loud and clear as she approached.

"Granny, you need to go to the hospital and get checked out"

"Nonsense young Lady, I'm fine, if I can survive being attacked by a wolf in the Enchanted Forest I sure as heck can survive this" Granny pointed to her face where Emma could see a large gash running across the older woman's cheek.

"Just patch me up already, that diner is not going to clean itself" she threw daggers at the nearest EMT as if daring him to disagree.

"I'll put some steri-strips on this for you, keep it clean and dry, if it starts bleeding again or looks infected you'll need to get it checked out" he acquiesced.

Ruby threw her hands in the air, rolling her eyes in frustration at her stubborn Grandmother as Emma approached.

"Emma, thank God. You have to get Granny to go to the hospital, you can make her, right?" Ruby pleaded.

"Sorry Ruby, if Granny doesn't want to go I can't force her" she gave Ruby her most apologetic look before turning to Granny "That does look quite nasty though, perhaps you should go." she added this last part to get Ruby off her back knowing full well that Granny would refuse, which she did. Emma looked between the two women.

"So, did either of you see what happened?" she asked, keen to change the subject.

"No, we were getting ready to close up, there were only a few people left inside when the window shattered. I was behind the counter and when I came turned around I saw Granny on the floor" Ruby hugged herself at the memory "I ran over to her and realized what had happen but here's the strange thing, when I looked outside the only person I saw was Hook, he was running away Emma, you don't think it was him, do you?" Ruby looked genuinely concerned, then muttered to herself "Maybe he didn't realize that I was only teasing him earlier"

"I'm sorry, what?" Emma asked

"Nothing, I'm sure I'm wrong but Hook was in here earlier with Henry, the two of them were as thick as thieves and Hook was obviously out to impress Henry by making fun of me and I kinda threw it back at him which Henry found very amusing. He wouldn't do this to get back at me, would he?"

"No Ruby, it wasn't Hook, he actually called it in to David as you were calling me, it was one of the Lost Ones, Hook has gone after him and David's gone to help, we should have him in custody soon enough."

"Oh good, phew" she had the decency to look embarrassed " I knew it wasn't him, in my heart I knew he wouldn't do it but when I only saw him outside I started to let my mind run away with itself. Oh God, please don't tell him I thought it was him, he'll hate me seeing as he was actually only trying to help"

"I think you're fine Ruby, there seems to be a lot of that going about tonight, I'll keep it to myself, don't worry" Emma gave a weak smile at her friend.

Ruby gave her a look which changed into a scrutinizing stare then grabbed her arm, steering her off out of the way of all the commotion.

"Spill" she whispered

"What?" Emma tried to look innocent

"Emma, I know that look, you are full of regret and no offense but I can smell your emotions, they are practically screaming at me. I thought it was to do with all this" she waved her hand towards to diner window "but it's not, there's something else going on."

Emma sighed again, her head was starting to thump now, she brought her hand up and pinched the bridge of her nose. A long breath escaped her lips before she let her hand drop back to her side, she looked up at Ruby to see no judgment only a sympathetic face.

"It's nothing really, just a stupid misunderstanding." Ruby gave her an urging look so she carried on "Apparently Henry has been getting bullied by some of the Lost Ones but had been trying to deal with it by himself. Today it got physical, he was trying to hide the fact when he literally ran into Hook at the docks. Hook managed to get the truth out of him but waited until after Henry had gone to bed to tell me, he was trying to protect Henry by letting me digest the information before speaking to him" she stopped there, knowing that her next confession was going to be hard "I may or may not have been slightly jealous that Henry had confided in Hook and not me and I said some horrible things, he left, I sulked, I got a lecture from my parents, realized that I was being an ass then this happened. I've not even had a chance to talk to him yet, Oh Ruby, I'm such an idiot"

"That would explain the whole Hook trying to cheer Henry up earlier on. I'm telling you Emma, if I ever found a man that treated my boy, you know, if I had one, the way Hook treats Henry I'd never let him go." she stopped and looked at Emma's worried face "Sorry, not making it better am I?"

"How could I be so blind Ruby? He was only ever trying to help wasn't he?"

Ruby nodded, hugged her friend then held her back at arms length "I can tell you right now Emma Swan, that man will forgive you in a heartbeat, he'd do anything for you, you may just need to make this apology a little "Extra" special" she added with a wink, Emma blushed but grinned, yes, perhaps she would.


	7. Chapter 7

"LIAR" the boy yelled, tears streaming down his small face "You killed my Brother and now you want to deny it?!"

Killian looked at the sorrow filled face in front of him, his heart weighed heavy in his chest, how was he to convince this child that he was telling the truth?

"I do... I deny that I killed your Brother " he quickly lifted his hands to cut off the cries of the young boy, he raised his voice slightly then carried on "I did not kill Rufio but I am the reason that he left you on that island. I never have, nor could I ever, kill a child"

The blade in the boys hand dipped towards the ground for a split second, then with new resolve the boy stepped forward raising it up as he went.

"I don't believe you" he screwed his face up as he fought to speak through his obvious emotional pain. "You bragged about it to Felix, you say that you would never kill a child but you played your part in Peter's death"

"Pan was not a child" Killian exclaimed indignantly but the look on the boy's face told him that he knew nothing of the finer details of Pan's final showdown with the crocodile.

"If you will just listen to me for a few minutes, I will tell you what happened, I promise you Lad, I did not kill Rufio, he was very much alive the last time I saw him right..." He was cut off when the boy lunged forward with his sword swinging wide, Killian dodged out of the way just in time, his cell phone flying from his hand as he managed to avoid being skewered by the boy.

"LIAR, LIAR, LIAR" the boy screamed frantically "You killed my Brother and nothing you say will convince me otherwise." he was panting now, his emotions draining him both mentally and physically. He brought his sleeve over his face to wipe away the fresh tears that spilled from his eyes then in a small broken voice he added "I hate you."

Killian let his arms drop, he stepped forward to comfort the boy thinking that all the fight had left him but was unprepared when the blade that flashed upwards slicing across his left forearm just above his brace, leaving a wide open gash in both his leather jacket and his arm. He hissed in pain, jerking his arm away but the boy was not done, he brought the blade around for another swing but Killian was prepared this time, he met the blade with his hook catching the boy unaware, he twisted quickly sending the sword flying off into the undergrowth leaving the boy unarmed, frozen in fear in front of him.

"Please don't hurt me" the boy whispered in a pleading voice.

Killian cradled his arm to his side and stepped up to the boy, he carefully placed his hand on the boy's shoulder shocked when he could feel him shaking in absolute terror.

"You have nothing to fear from me boy, all I ask is that you give me five minutes of your time and I will explain exactly what happened to your Brother" the boy looked up, something new in his eyes, for the first time that night Killian could see resignation, the boy obviously thought him a liar and believed that he was going to die.

Killian stepped around him and made his way to a large fallen tree in the middle of the clearing. He slowly removed his jacket, hissing a little as the cool night air hit his open wound. He looked at his arm, letting out a long breath at the cut which was still bleeding quite heavily, he'd have to get that seen too before the night was done. Folding his jacket and placing it on the log he turned to the boy.

"Come here boy, come, sit"

The boy looked puzzled by Killian's move to walk away and leave him able to run if he wanted to. He tipped his head to the side then reluctantly made his way over to where Killian had settled himself on the log but remained standing in defiance.

"You've got five minutes Pirate, Devin warned me that you'd try and get out of it, he told me that you'd say anything to make me doubt the truth but I know what you did."

Killian sighed, he'd kept this secret for a long time but now he had the chance to set right a wrong that he had been a part of more than ten years ago. He looked the boy in the eye, he could remember that night like it was yesterday and now was the time to set the boy straight, if he had only known that he was one of the lads that had returned with them he could have done this months ago.

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David pulled his truck up next to the "Troll Bridge" sign, he gave a small chuckle as his headlights showed him the vandalized sign making him think of his past adventure on the real Troll bridge back in the Enchanted Forest with Snow. He grabbed the flash light from the seat next to him before killing the engine, stepping out of the truck he swung the beam of light out into the darkness, hoping to see some kind of sign to show him which way Hook had gone. Hook had said that he'd been traveling east so David turned towards the bridge, he'd need to cross the river here to ensure he was on the right path. Digging into his pocket he pulled out his cell, flicking it on to illuminate the screen he noted that it was nearly 11pm, God he was beat, hopefully Hook has figured out where the Lost Ones where hiding, if he had they'd return in the morning with a few trusted townsfolk to round them up, get them all at once when they weren't expecting it. He took one last glance over his shoulder at his truck before heading off at a jog across the bridge and into the woods.

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Emma was beyond tired as she slowly made her way to her desk. Flipping the light switch on as she passed through the doorway, she looked up at the clock and sighed, she should be in her bed, sometimes she hated this job. She slumped down into her chair, grabbed her note book and a stack of empty police forms, she figured she may as well start filling in her paperwork while she waited on her Dad and Hook to arrive. Hopefully this would all be over soon, the Lost Ones would be locked up, Henry would be safe and Hook would forgive her for being an ass...again. She really needed to get a handle on that, she always lashed out him and he always stayed and forgave her, she realized in that moment that he'd never lied to her, he would not abandon her like others had done before him, she needed to stop trying to test him otherwise one of these days he would leave and it would be her own stupid fault. Settling down, pen in hand she hoped that they wouldn't be too long, she needed to make this right before it was too late.


	8. Chapter 8

Killian took one last long look at the night sky above him, letting out a long slow breath before settling his gaze on the boy in front of him.

"As you know I sailed the seas around Neverland for centuries but I, unlike all of you Lost Ones, never forgot my home or my purpose, I never once wavered from my revenge against that damned Crocodile in all the years I was there. This I owe to Tinkerbell, I had heard tales as a lad of the land where you could go and never grow old, a land where all your troubles would be forgotten. I very much required the first to enable me to figure out my revenge but could not allow the later to hinder my progress. I had been to this land once before as a sailor and knew it would help me focus my mind on the task in hnd. Upon my arrival I brokered a deal with the Fairy where she would supply me with a potion made from Pixie dust that would allow me to retain my memories in return for a promise that when I eventually left the island I would take her with me. I, after all did not intend to stay there forever , just long enough to figure out my plan for revenge." he paused to take note of the boy who was listening raptly to the tale, it seems no child can resist a good story, he shifted slightly on the log then carried on.

"One night when I was returning to my ship from Pixie Hollow, I had been to retrieve my supply of potion for the coming months, I ran into Rufio, well to be more precise he ran into me, he was fleeing a Neverbird and failed to see me in his haste. We both tumbled to the ground, I at once grabbed my sword expecting an attack but when I looked at the boy in front of me sitting on the ground I realized that something was wrong. He had a look about him that I had never seen on a Lost Ones face before, he was remembering, remembering who he was, where he came from. You see lad, the bottle I had been carrying in my hand had smashed as your Brother collided with me, covering him with the potion inside. Once he had remembered his past he immediately wanted to leave Neverland, he wanted to get you and go, he begged me for my help. Maybe I had been in Neverland too long by then but for whatever reason I agreed to help him escape from Pan's grasp. We devised a plan where I would retrieve you while the Lost Ones were out on one of their many scouting missions. We headed into the jungle the very next day and as luck would have it you and one other boy were out picking berries. We crept up on your party and managed to cover your head in a sack and knock the other lad to the ground but I was unprepared for what happened next, you were like a wild animal. I had slung you over my shoulder and we were running towards my ship when there was a blinding pain in my back. I don't remember much of what happened next but Rufio told me later that you had stuck a blade into my back and managed to escape into the jungle. Rufio practically carried me back to my ship where we had to come up with a different plan. Rufio realized that he would never get you to leave now, the Lost Ones would be on high alert after a kidnapping attempt, he vowed to return one day to take you home but for the time being we realized that he had to leave alone. We knew that you were unaware of who had attacked you, you could never tell Pan who it was if you did not know so we were safe on that score but we had to come up with a plan as to why Rufio was missing. Tink was the one to come up with the idea that it was an accident while she was attending to my wounded back, she went to Pan with a tale about how a vicious Neverbeast had attacked her and both I and Rufio had fought it off together, she told him how after the beast was defeated that Rufio was too close to the edge of the cliffs when the ground gave way, how I grabbed hold of his arm to save him from falling but could not hold on. Ultimately the tale ended with me losing my grip and your Brother falling to his death. She told Pan of how ashamed I was for failing to help the boy and how I had left the island for a while as a mark of respect. This gave us the opportunity to leave with Rufio, I took him back to the Enchanted Forest where we parted company, I took on supplies then headed back to Neverland where upon my return I heard the stories that I, the Great Captain Hook had slayed Rufio in cold blood. Obviously a tale told by Pan to keep you boys in fear of us Pirates. Pan banned Tink from seeing me but she risked it one last time to ask after Rufio and deliver me one last batch of memory potion, enough to last me a very long time. She told me then that Pan must have suspected something was wrong, he had told her that if she ever spoke to me or my crew again that he would kill a Lost One every time she did it. She gave me a bottle with pixie dust in it, telling me that there was enough in there for one last flight from Neverland, the one last flight that she would not be coming on. She told me that she could not leave the Lost ones in fear of what Pan would do to them without her calming influence. It was decided then that I would only stay as long as my memory potion lasted then I would leave to finally seek out my Crocodile without Tink, she would be left behind for the sake of you boys"

Killian gave a sad sigh then looked at the boy. "It seems history repeats itself tonight, this is not the first time that you have cut me with a blade boy"

The boy looked confused "I don't remember, not really, I remember bit and pieces, I remember being scared and not being able to see, I struck out with a small dagger then I remember running into the jungle...That was you? You and Rufio?!"

"Aye Lad" Killian stood and turned his back to the boy before pulling his shirt up enough to show a scar low down on his back just above his waistline. The boy gasped as the truth finally registered.

"If I had known it was you that had returned with us that day I would have taken you to your Brother I swear. He is here, in Storybrooke, he lives deep in the woods, he works as a Ranger, I guess you can take the boy out of Neverland but you can't take Neverland out of the boy." The boys eyes gleamed with unshed tears as Killian continued "I have not seen him in a long time, he is older , older than you will remember and I hear he has a wife now and goes by the name "Rufus" but I know one thing, he will return for you, of this I am sure."

"Truly?" the boys face was full of hope.

"Lad, if I could have just one more day with my Brother I would take it in a heartbeat. You will learn as you grow, family comes before all else and your Brother's last words to me were that he would find you again one day. He will return, I promise. Family is important."

"My sentiments exactly" the cold voice drawled from the tree line as Devin stepped forward into the Moonlight. Killian instinctively stepped between him and the young lad next to him but movement off to his left drew his attention, he whipped his head around only to find that the rest of the Lost Ones were all emerging from the trees too, coming round to form a circle around them. They held various weapons from baseball bats to plain old lumps of wood in their hand and all wore the same feral look on their faces. Killian knew he was in trouble.


	9. Chapter 9

**Things turn nasty for Hook in this chapter and I feel it only fair that I should warn you now that this is only the beginning for the poor Pirate., the poor guy never saw it coming!**

David jogged along at a steady pace scanning the torch back and forth along the tree line looking for signs of either Hook or any of the Lost Ones. He was just beginning to slow his pace thinking that he'd be better calling Hook to find out his exact whereabouts when his cell phone rang. He came to a stop and pulled the phone from his pants pocket, he looked at the screen and saw it was the station's number, probably Emma wanting an update.

"Hey"

"Hey Dad, any idea on how long you guys are gonna be? It's getting late and I'm totally beat. If you can't find Devin tonight we'll head out again tomorrow, you guys running around the woods in the dark is probably not the best idea."

"Sorry Honey, I'm not sure how much longer we're going to be, I've not even found Hook yet. I was just about to phone him so we could meet up. You're right though, it's too damn dark out here to see squat, I'll give Hook a call now and be back to the station soon."

"Look, I'll call Hook , I want to speak to him anyway, I want to apologize for earlier. Maybe I can convince him to give up the search if he knows how sorry I am plus I'd like to make sure he's not out there running around just trying to prove a point to me in the middle of the night." Emma sounded tired and frustrated so he agreed to let her make the call.

"OK then, tell Hook to meet me back at the truck, it's parked up next to the toll bridge."

"Thanks Dad, see you soon,"

David turned and started to slowly walk back towards his truck, he figured he could take his time, it would probably take Hook longer than him to get there anyway. His stomach gave a growl, all this running about had made him hungry, these late night call outs really played havoc with his system, tired and hungry was not a good combination.

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"Devin STOP" the lad darted out from behind Killian's legs and charged his way to Devin's side, a pleading look on his face "You don't need to do this. We were wrong about him, he is going to take me to my Brother. Rufio is alive, he's alive and living right here in Storybrooke!"

"You idiot, you actually believed this lying scum? You are a worthless fool and I am ashamed to call you a Lost One. You are henceforth banished from our group. Go on, go away, see how long you last out in the big bad world without us," he gave the boy a hard shove and he toppled face first into the dirt, there was a ripple of laughter throughout the clearing as the boy tried to scramble away.

Killian marched forward to put an end to Devin's cruelty but before he had made it more than a few steps his world exploded into one of pain and confusion. He suddenly felt the damp ground beneath his face as he lay spreadeagled on the grass. Slowly the world came back into focus and he realized that one of the lost Ones that had been standing behind him had slammed a baseball bat across his back. Tingling pains ran up and down his limbs as he clawed himself back into a standing position, unwilling to remain on the ground any longer. He squinted at Rufio's Brother as he tried to breath through the pain, he could see the boy had gained his feet too and was standing not too far away looking completely lost. Killian had fought many battles, he knew sometimes the best course of action was the least expected one. He had four Lost Ones surrounding him to the rear but only one that may try to harm him to the front, he bent at the waist slightly trying to gauge the damage to his back without being too obvious about it. Rufio's brother made eye contact with him in that moment, he didn't seem to know what to do, he simply stood there either unwilling or unable to move.

Devin's laugh brought Killian back to his senses. "You are such a stupid little idiot, you really believed that this pirate was going to help you find your Brother? Rufio is dead and HE is a liar and yet you chose to believe him over me" he paused then turned to meet the boy face on, he lowered his voice and practically snarled "Get... Out... Of... Here... unless you want to meet the same fate as the good Captain here" he pointed lazily towards Killian.

Killian knew he had to act soon, he took a deep shuddering breath making it look like he was in much more pain than he actually was by giving a low groan, it worked, Devin's attention was drawn to him, leaving the boy safe for the time being. Devin stepped forward stopping directly in front of Killian, a very smug look on his face "Time for you to learn not to cross the Lost Ones Captain, if only you had stayed out of our business this would not have needed to involve you but you just had to side with Saint Henry and his crew of do gooders, how times have changed, eh Captain? You were once feared by all, now you are nothing"

Killian met Rufio's brother's eyes once more, hoping that he could convey his plan in a simple look. He remained bent over feigning a more serious injury, he waited until Devin took his eyes off of him to look around the other Lost Ones, his face was one of pure glee at the prospect of what was about to happen, Killian saw his opportunity, he stayed low, running forward straight towards Devin hitting him square in his middle. He kept moving, standing up as he went sending Devin up and over his shoulder and landing on the ground with a very satisfying "Oomph". Killian grabbed Rufio's Brother by the arm as he picked up speed and roared.

"RUN LAD, RUN AND DO NOT STOP FOR ANYTHING"

The boy did not need to be told twice, quickly seeing what had just happened he chose to stick with Killian's plan instead of siding with the Lost Ones. They were running side by side when something barreled into Killian's back sending him skidding to a halt in the dirt, there was no pretending this time as the groan of pain left his lips, his back was practically screaming in agony at him as he lay there trying to regain his bearings. He managed to lock eyes with Rufio's Brother for an instant before the boy realized he could not help him, he turned and ran into the trees and out of sight. Killian sighed in relief, at least the boy had gotten away. He was lying on his back once again greeted by the large moon above staring down at him. One by one the Lost Ones came into his field of vision, finally Devin stepped up , blood spilling from a very broken looking nose, he drew his foot back and tried to kick Killian in the side but Killian easily saw the move, grabbing his foot and twisting slightly onto his left hand side pulling Devin to the ground next to him. He was however unprepared for the baseball bat that slammed down onto his right leg in the next few seconds, yelling in agony, he lay panting, trying in vain to alleviate some of the pain by gripping his leg with his one good hand. Devin found his feet again and took advantage of his incapacity to move by stamping on the same leg. "You'll find it a bit harder to run off now" he spat out as Killian writhed around in pain on the ground.

"At least the boy is free from your control now" Killian choked out

Devin barked out a laugh as he raised his arm to wipe his sleeve across his blood soaked face "You really think so? He is so much easier to manipulate when he is scared and right now he is both alone and scared. He'll come back just you wait and see. I have made him believe that you have lied to him for all these years, he trusts me, stupid little idiot. I know you did not kill Rufio, I have always known. You were naive enough to believe that we would not find out the truth from Tink, of course we did, Peter could always get the truth from Tinkerbell. Peter and Felix confided in me long ago about that night, how that traitor Rufio left us to grow up and how you helped him. We did not know if you would ever return to Neverland when the two of left together, a tale was told to keep the younger boys in line, we did not want them to get ideas about leaving the island. so you, Dear Captain had to become a ruthless child killer who would hunt them down and slay them if they ever tried to leave." He stalked around so that he was by Killian's head, bending over he continued "Rapha will be so happy when we finally welcome him back into our family that he will be willing to do anything to stay and never have to leave again." he sighed and rolled his eyes dramatically "You Captain, you keep bringing hope to my Lost Ones, first Rufio, then Henry and now you are trying to do the same with Rapha! I'm afraid that it's just going to have to stop"

"There's only one issue with that" Killian grit out raising his eyes to meet the boys "I'm never going to stop, not until every last one of you is in jail."

"Well I guess we'll just need to see about that then won't we" Devin gave his most feral smile before jumping to his feet and yelling "Captain needs taught a lesson boys"

The blows rained down on every part of his being, feet stamped ,bats hit and fists flew, the only protection Killian could muster was to pull his head down into his chest and cover it with his arms as best as he could, praying to the Gods that David found him soon.


	10. Chapter 10

**As I said before, things do not get much better for poor Hook in this chapter either, he has a long way to go before there is light at the end of the tunnel. If you are enjoying this story please, please, please leave a review. As I have said this is my first fic and I need all the inspiration I can get to keep posting as I keep doubting my own ability to string a sentence together lol. Many Thanks to those who have already reviewed, it means a lot. Right, back to Hook.**

"You are pathetic... look at you lying there" Killian could hear Devin's sneering voice somewhere in the darkness of his mind. "Get up you filthy pirate"

Killian knew he couldn't get up even if he wanted to, every part of him was on fire but he started trying to bring his limbs into some form of coordinated mass, he obviously wasn't moving fast enough for Devin though as before he had managed to move too far he was abruptly yanked to his knees by two of the older looking boys. He hung limply in their grasp, trying in vain to clear his vision, he shook his head to try and clear some of the black spots that danced in front of him.

"Poor Form Devin" he almost whispered "Five against one are not really fair odds now are they? How about just you and I sort this out, one on one?"

"Poor Form indeed Captain but you see I, unlike you do not care for "Form", I have found that poor form usually wins the fight, we work much better as a team. You talk too much Captain, an annoyance I plan to rectify quickly" he gave a curt nod and before Kiliian could even register what was happening something slammed into the left hand side of his face just below his eye, he slumped forward but a hand appeared in his hair and yanked his head up as another blow hit him hard, he heard and felt a loud crack at the force of the blow that crashed into his jaw, ripping a cry of pain from his lungs. He was beyond exhausted now, he just hung in the arms of the two boys, unable to do anything other than drool blood down his own shirt front. He could hear the boy's mumbling around him but his eyes were closed now, all coherent thought gone, he at that moment was just about hanging onto consciousness, unwilling to give up without a fight.

He heard a voice to his left, Devin. "Jensen, go grab the rope". He didn't even have time to wonder why they needed rope when he was unceremoniously dropped face first into the dirt, having his eyes closed and not expecting the move he landed hard on his mangled face, as the black spots in his mind began to form total darkness Killian could have sworn he could hear a symphony playing out his final scene, this was his last thought as he finally let the blissful darkness claim him.

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Rapha stood hidden in the trees, he had been frozen to the spot watching in horror as Hook was yanked up too his knees, they had beaten Hook up as he ran away, he chewed his bottom lip, torn as to what to do, he was no match for the others. He watched in horror as a baseball bat was slammed into Hook's face, he couldn't watch anymore as the bat was raised again. He spun quickly so that he couldn't see but could do nothing to stop Hook's cries of pain penetrating his ears. Panic was rising in the boy's chest, what was he supposed to do? He could hear the excited chatter in the clearing behind him, he heard Devin tell Jensen to go grab the rope and suddenly he realized that if he didn't move he was about to be discovered as Jensen started running in his direction. He quickly ducked further into the trees, keeping low he circled round to the fallen tree that he had been standing next to when Hook had told him of his Brother, he crouched behind it watching in horror as Hook was dropped face first into the dirt. His heart was racing and at first he thought he was hearing things when he heard music, turning his head to one side he saw a glow of light highlighting a patch of grass just off to his side. It was Hook's cell phone and it was making a noise, he practically leapt on it trying to silence the noise, he didn't want the others to hear it and come over to his hiding place. He had seen others use one but had never actually used one himself but by sheer luck he managed to answer the call, he could hear a small tinny voice coming from the phone in his hand, he raised it to his ear and at once cried "Help... someone please, I need help."

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Emma was on the verge of hanging up, she didn't know why she'd thought it would be a good idea to call Hook, of course he wasn't going to answer her call, she had been horrible to him earlier. Just as she was taking the cell away from her ear the call connected, she could hear rustling sounds coming through the ear piece.

"Hook. Killian? Speak to me, what's going on?" she immediately started to worry when he didn't speak but her fears leapt to the forefront of her mind at the next thing she heard.

"Help... someone please, I need help." the small voice of a child came through the line.

"Who is this? Where's Killian?" she practically yelled back.

"I don't know, I don't know who Killian is... Hook had this phone thing, he dropped it earlier but you have to come help, the others have got him, they're going to kill him if you don't hurry, PLEASE, I don't want him to die, he was going to take me to my brother..."

"What? Who has Hook?"

"Devin and the others, they tricked me, I heard them , they knew that Rufio was alive..."

Emma's mind was racing, the lost ones had Hook, Rufio was alive? What the hell was going on? She cut the boy off "OK, OK... You need my help but I need yours too, I need to know where you are. You need to calm down, it's going to be alright but I need you to tell me where you are so that I can come and help Hook, OK?"

"I don't know where I am, we're in a clearing in the woods but I don't know the names of the places in your town" the kid was sobbing now

"It's OK Kid, stay with me" Emma grabbed her keys to the bug, there were only three distinct clearings in the woods, she could work with this. "Listen to me, I need you to describe what you see, look around you and tell me what there is in the clearing, I'm coming, I promise but I need you to help me."

She could practically hear the boy thinking down the line as she slid into the drivers seat of her Bug and quickly started the engine. She pulled away, tires screeching as she slammed her foot straight to the gas pedal and pointed her bug towards the woods, she needed to get the right location from the kid then call her Dad, those little shits were going to pay, first they went after Henry now Hook, nu uh, not gonna happen. With new determination Emma returned her focus to the boy on the line

"Right Kid, tell me what you see, I'm on the road now, I will find you, I'm coming, I promise" she said the words out loud to the boy but in her head she was saying them to Hook. God, she needed to find him and quickly.


	11. Chapter 11

**More Hook whump a head... fair warning**

Killian was only vaguely aware of movement around him, his conscious mind kept skittering away from him unwilling to surface and face the reality of what was going on, everything hurt, even breathing seemed a task that would send pulsing pain through to his very core so he welcomed the darkness. It seemed the Lost Ones didn't agree, his world flew back into focus with a blinding pain shooting white light across his vision and forcing a scream from his throat. In his state he couldn't figure out what was going on, his sensory system was on overdrive, all synapses misfiring in one giant cacophony of agony. He tried to roll away from the source but found that he couldn't, finally he managed to open his one good eye and take in the scene before him, his stomach rolled in horror at the realization that Devin was standing with one foot firmly pressing down on his now very broken right arm.

"I think you have slept long enough Dear Captain" he looked down at his foot "I bet that had to hurt." He lifted his foot from Killian's forearm causing another wave of pain and dizziness to course through him but he had little time to recover as the foot was slammed down once more onto his hand. This was too much, Killian's face screwed up in agony both physical and emotional as he took in the sight of his one good hand that now lay in ruins in front of him. The Lost Ones seemed satisfied for the moment moving off into a tight group leaving Killian with nothing more to do than lie in a heap upon the ground, unable to do much more than to try and prevent himself from alleviating his stomach of it's contents and even then he wasn't sure he would be able to do that much longer. Over three hundred years of life and he had been bested by a group of teenagers and some sporting equipment, how in the world had it come to this. The boys approached once more and Killian couldn't help but flinch as their boots appeared in his line of sight. Devin crouched down to meet his gaze, that same self satisfied look plastered across his face.

"I think it's time you took your final bow Captain Hook, I think it's quite fitting that it takes place here." he stood up and paced away, throwing his hand out , he spun on his heals and turned back to face Killian as if he were introducing the place. " We named this place "Pixie Hollow" you know? See that pond over there? We call that "Mermaid Lagoon" and see that tree over there? The big one standing all by itself." He pointed to a tree knowing full well from Killian's position that he had no way of seeing it. He sauntered back up to Killian's head and crouched once more directly in front of him. "We call that tree "Hangman's Tree", I guess today it gets to live up to it's name."

Before Killian had time to fully process the implications of the statement he was being physically manhandled to his knees but he had no strength to stay upright, again he was held up by two boys and his head was yanked back so that he was looking into Devin's face once more. His heart was racing, they were going to hang him from that damned tree, he had to get away yet he could see no way of doing it. He prayed to the Gods once more that the Prince would find him before it was too late, he couldn't go out this way, he had promised his Swan that he wouldn't leave her, that he was a survivor he didn't want her to remember him as a liar. A thick rope was forced over his head causing pain to flare through his broken jaw as it was pulled taught around his neck, fear and panic rose up inside him and without much thought to the coming pain he struggled with all his might. It was no use though, the boys were too strong and they simply held him until his strength left him. Devin held the rope in his hands, pulling it slowly to show that he had the power to cut of Killian's airway, he would pull it tight then let it relax just enough so that Killian could suck in a few deep breaths before the cycle would start again, all the time the Lost Ones howled with laughter as Killian fought to keep himself going for his Swan.

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"Kid, what's going on? What do you see?" Emma practically screamed, she was panicking now, she was pretty sure that she had just heard Hook yell in agony over her cell.

"No, no, no... Devin just stamped on Hook's hand, I think he just broke his hand!"

Emma had to find where they were, NOW. "Hey, it's OK, stay with me, I'm driving remember? I'm on my way but you need to tell me as much as you can about where you are. Look around you, what do you see?"

The boy sniffed thickly "I see Pixie Hollow, I see Mermaid's Lagoon..." he gasped out a breath, "Oh no...they're taking him to Hangman's tree... THEY'RE GOING TO HANG HIM IN HANGMAN'S TREE" the boy sounded terrified.

"WHAT?" Emma yelled back, had she heard right, how could this be happening? "What do you mean Kid?"

She was greeted by silence. After another few attempts to get an answer she realized that either the kid was unable to answer or he had dropped the cell, either way it didn't matter anymore, he was not her priority anymore, she knew where Hook was, there was only one clearing that had water in it "McGregor's Point", it wasn't far from the toll bridge. She disconnected the call and immediately redialed. Hoping to God that David wasn't too far away, she was still at least ten minutes from the clearing but hopefully her Dad would save the day, that's what he did, right?

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David sat in the driver's seat of his truck, he had managed to find some Twinkies in the glove compartment, great, that wasn't stereotypical at all! He had just burst the packet open and taken the first mouthful when his cell rang showing that it was Emma again, answering quickly he never had a chance to speak before Emma's voice came loudly through the speaker.

"DAD, you need to get to McGregor's Point NOW. Killian is in trouble, the Lost Ones have him, they've beat him pretty bad and now they're about to hang him from a God Damn tree"

"What?" David wasn't sure he'd heard any of that right

"I don't have time to explain Dad, trust me, you just need to get there now" Emma's voice was pleading "I'm heading your way, I'll be there in ten. Please Dad, Hook needs your help"

"OK, I'm on my way, I'm only a few minutes away. Meet you at the clearing?"

"You can count on it" Emma spat out before the line went dead.

David shoved his cell back in his pocket and started his truck, he only hoped that he got to Hook in time, he'd got used to the pain in the ass being around.


	12. A few answers

**I'd like to answer some of the queries raised in the reviews if I may.**

 **Yes, I intend to update most days, as I have said before this is a long story so short updates done regularly is my plan.**

 **I do love a good cliffhanger so there are a whole bunch of them haha**

 **I appreciate that the violence in this fic is quite detailed but this is just my style of writing, I apologize if anyone finds it hard to read but I stand by my story, everything will be OK in the end, honest! I have changed this to an M rating in lieu of concerns raised, thanks for the input.**

 **Hook's lack of fighting back was due to a culmination of a few things, firstly he had promised Henry that he wouldn't hurt anyone except in self defense and I don't believe for a second that he thought the night would turn out the way it did when he was first confronted by the Lost Ones, he also thought David would show up to help... yeah right, he's still waiting while David's munching on Twinkies! Secondly his priority at first was to ensure that Rapha got away, sometimes the best course of action in a fight is to not fight at all and run, unfortunately for Hook the boys ran faster, and he got caught unawares and was set upon by five angry Lost Ones, Devin did get a broken nose for his troubles though! Thirdly once he was caught they beat him quite badly, he suffered a broken jaw so any snarky comments are kind of out for now, don't worry we'll get sassy Hook in later chapters even if it is without words! #SpoilerAlert lol**

 **I'd also like to apologize if my terminology is a bit quirky, I am a non American trying to write using American terminology and spelling so if there are a few funky spellings and things with strange names please feel free to let me know what you guys call the item or the correct (or incorrect to me lol) spelling of the word and I will rectify it.**

 **I've been asked to be a writing buddy which is really nice but for many reasons I don't feel I could give my full attention to at the moment... maybe in the future. Sorry.**

 **I hope you guys will stick with this story, it does have more violence, a lot of hurt Hook, emotional Emma, concerned David, guilty feeling Henry, mothering Snow and evil, evil Devin... I don't know about you guys but I'd like to slap him in the face cartilage myself. Also I will point out now that there will be "Nursing Emma" as someone hoped for as when I wrote this Emma had not conquered her ability to heal other so yeah, that's not gonna happen... it's a long hard road to recovery for our poor old Killian Jones.**

 **Please please please continue to review, you guys make me happy and encourage me to carry on, I have not written anything since high school where I was tarred with the stupid brush by many teachers, I have found out since leaving school (which was a loooong time ago) that I am in fact dyslexic, it's been a long battle but I now have the confidence to do this. So the moral of the story is if you too have been told that you can't do something believe in yourself, if you want to do something that very fact ensures that you can.**


	13. Chapter 12

**And so we return to the story... Poor Hook, what have I done to him?!**

Killian was trying in vain to stop the noose from tightening any further as he was dragged on his back across the clearing by the rope around his neck. His feet scrabbled in the dirt, trying to gain some kind of purchase and stop their forward momentum. His right arm lay uselessly at his side as his left caused more damage to his own being than help stop it, several times he had cut himself with his own hook as he gouged at the rope trying to let some air through to his starved lungs. Black dots were once more starting to cloud his vision when he was dropped unceremoniously onto the ground at the base of the tree. He raked in great gulping gasps of breath as the noose loosened, opening his good eye he stared defiantly at Devin, the boy's face was a bloody mess, congealed blood covered his mouth and chin and his broken nose gave him a very nasally sound when he finally spoke.

"Got something to say Pirate? Oh no wait... that would be a no. I prefer you this way, you were always so full of self importance, now I don't need to listen to any of your "I'm prepared to die for love" or "I am a man on Honor" speeches, I always found them so tedious.

Killian continued to glare at Devin, unwilling to break eye contact, he was trying to think quickly of anything that would help. For many years he had been prepared to die, everyday had been full of opportunities for it to happen but things had changed, he had changed, for Swan. He watched as Devin approached once more not really paying attention to what Killian was doing, obviously believing that he had no fight left in him. If he was going to die he was going to go out fighting. Devin was talking to the boy he'd called Jensen earlier when Killian made his move, he prepared himself for the onslaught of pain he knew would be coming, drew in one last deep breath then threw himself forward gouging his hook firmly into Devin's right calf. The boy immediately howled in pain and ripped his leg away, dropping to the ground, hands clamped over the bloody wound. Killian dropped back down onto his back, panting heavily. Eventually Devin met his gaze and Killian forced a half smile onto his face, he wasn't about to give this boy the satisfaction of thinking that he was ready to give up and just die.

" You think that move will save you?" Devin was in obvious pain, he was rocking slightly while still gripping his leg. "Boys, I think it's time we ended this and went home, I'd do the honors but it seems the good Captain had more fight in him than I gave him credit for, Bravo Captain, Bravo. Jensen if you please and watch out for that hook."

Jensen stepped up, two other boys falling in behind him, Killian tried to scoot away but it was no use, they were on him in seconds, one of them standing on his hook making it impossible for him to make another attack while the other two grabbed hold of the rope. The noose began to tighten again, Killian saw the other end being tossed over a large branch in the tree, panic began to set in as the boys started to take up the slack and he slowly started to be pulled across the ground once more. Soon he could feel his whole body starting to lift from the ground, his lungs were on fire and his eyes were starting to bulge with the pressure in his head. Finally he felt his feet swing free from the ground, the boys were shouting and yelling but he couldn't hear what they were saying over the sound of his own heartbeat thumping in his ears. In one last attempt to get some air into his lungs he tried to raise his hooked arm once again, his movements were sloppy and lacked much power but by some stroke of luck he managed to lodge his hook into the rope slightly above his head, it took a small amount of pressure off his neck but by that time he was too far gone, the darkness was upon him once more and he welcomed it's warm embrace. The Lost Ones were so preoccupied in their celebrations of the "Defeat of Captain Hook" that they hadn't noticed his final movements before he lost consciousness. They tied off the rope when his feet were about five feet from the ground, shouting out great whoops of joy as they made their way over to where Devin still sat on the ground.

Jensen pulled Devin to his feet, supporting him as he turned towards the hanging corpse in the tree, "Farewell Captain Hook, you were once a worthy foe, part of me is sad that it had to end this way but we will not be contained, we are Lost Ones, we have no rules and we have no boundaries, we will adhere to no ones laws, we will fight to stay together and to avenge the death of our once great leader Peter Pan, nothing and no one will get in our way or stop us"

The lost Ones headed off into the night leaving the Pirate hanging like a half strung puppet from the large lonely tree in the center of the clearing, a small figure appeared seconds later, he fell to his knees at Hook's feet, it was eerily quiet, the only sounds to be heard were the soft sobbing of the boy on the ground and the creaking of the rope from which the man who had tried to help him now swung.

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David knew he was taking too long, he couldn't drive any faster along the rough track so he had to just keep going, hoping that his gut instinct was wrong. Finally he swung the truck into the clearing, flipping on his high beams as he turned, shining the bright lights out into the darkness, only seconds later wishing he hadn't. There in the middle of the clearing was his friend, strung up like a criminal, hanging from a tree, lifeless. His breath caught in his throat, NO, he was too late, no no no, he mentally berated himself with what if as he pulled to a stop. He noticed the young boy slumped down in front of Hook and as he left his truck he could hear his cries. He approached the macabre scene cautiously, he could tell from his clothing that the boy was a Lost One but he seemed much younger than the others, maybe ten at most. Why was he crying for Hook if they were the ones that had done this in the first place? He stopped next to the boy, trying his best to not look at the sight above him, he crouched down extending a hand to the boys shoulder.

"Hey Kid, you want to tell me what's up?" David kept his voice low as his hand finally made contact with the quivering boy.

"They killed him" the boy turned, his face was red and swollen from the tears he had shed. "He was going to take me to my Brother but now he's dead, this is all my fault. Why did they have to do this?"

"I don't know kid, I don't know" David pulled in a long sigh as his gaze was finally drawn to his friend's form, the shadows cast by the lights made the scene look like something from a horror movie. Tears brimmed David's eyes as he felt the physical blow of pain in his gut, not so much for himself but for Emma, this was going to ruin her, she loved this stupid pirate with all her heart and the last thing she had said to him were words of anger and now he'd managed to get himself killed, God, how was this even fair?! In an instant he realized that he couldn't let her see him like this, he needed to get Hook down, he had blankets in the cab of his truck that he could use to cover him, Emma did not need to see this. He stood quickly, Hook's feet hanging in his eye line. He noticed that he was missing his left boot, silly really how that seemed to be the thing he was bothered by when there were other more obvious things going on right now. He stared, lost in his own thoughts for a second then blinked in surprise when he was sure that he just saw the foot in front of him move... He stared intently, his heart racing in new hope but he saw nothing but the slight swing of Hook's body from the rope. He couldn't be alive, could he? Deciding there was only one way to find out for sure David stepped forward and took a hold of Hook's left leg, he ripped the sock from his foot and felt around the ankle joint, fingers skimming over the still warm skin hoping to find what he was looking for. He froze as he felt a flutter beneath his finger tips, pausing to make sure that he hadn't imagined it but he hadn't, there it was again, slow but definitely there. Adrenaline poured into his system and instinct took over.

"HE'S ALIVE... "he roared out to the boy whose head snapped up at David's yell.

"Kid, I need your help, we need to get him down from this tree now or he won't be alive for much longer." David just prayed that he wasn't too late, he could save his daughter from the pain that seconds before had been only too real, he needed to save her from that.

David stepped forward taking hold of Hook's legs "See if you can untie that rope" he pointed at it with a sharp nod of his head and the boy ran, skidding to a halt at the trunk of the tree. He tried his best to free the rope but the knot was tight and his small fingers couldn't undo it. He looked panicked as he worked then suddenly he stopped, threw a desperate look over to David then took off at high speed into the darkness.

"KID, wait, come back... I can't do this by myself, Hook needs your help" David's desperate cries carried out into the darkness as he was left alone. He needed help and he needed it now, he wondered how far away Emma was, he had tried to save her from this sight but right now he wished she was there, right by his side so that they could work together to free Hook from the rope. His eyes darted around the small patch of ground that was highlighted around him searching for anything to help when the boy suddenly burst back into the clearing a small sword clasped in his hands. The boy looked at David as he raised the blade up, he gave a small nod then he brought the blade down across the taught rope in several blows until it finally gave way dropping the pirate into David's waiting arms, it was not easy but David managed to lower Hook onto the ground. Only when he came to remove the rope from Hook's neck did he realize what had happened, he pulled the rope over Hook's head, fully intent on getting that thing away from his friend as quickly as possible but he realized it was snagged on something, he followed the trail of rope with his eyes, thinking it would be caught on a jagged bit of rock or something only to find Hook's, well, hook embedded in it. He gently removed it, tossed the rope to the side then turned his attention back to the prone figure lying before him, God he was a mess, his neck was a mass of bruises and his face was beyond words. Unwilling to do more damage while searching for a pulse David checked it again using Hook's left ankle, letting out a long sigh of relief when he felt the thrum beneath his fingers. Hook's breathing was shallow but he was breathing and right now that's all that mattered, the rest could be dealt with later, he was alive and David had no intention of letting that fact change, no Pirates were dying tonight, not on his watch.


	14. Chapter 13

**Finally some help has arrived for poor Hook and don't worry his Swan will be arriving very soon. Sorry for the late update, I've got a lot going on atm, I'll try to update daily but cannot guarantee it but this is a BIG chapter with a lot of angsty stuff so hopefully you'll forgive me. Hope you enjoy it. Anyway on with the story...**

David was considering calling Emma to see how far out she was, he needed to get Hook to the hospital ASAP but there was no way that he could lift him into his truck, even with the young boy's help it would be impossible without causing more injuries to his already very battered body, he needed to keep his neck as still as possible as he didn't know how much damage that God damn rope had caused. He was fumbling in his pocket trying to grab his cell and support Hook's head at the same time when headlamps swung into the clearing momentarily blinding him, he raised his arm up to shield his face and squinted into the darkness immediately recognizing the yellow bug, he breathed a sigh of relief then started preparing for the task ahead. As if sensing Emma's arrival Hook chose that moment to groggily come too, then in seconds he was writhing around on the ground trying to rip at his throat, he was obviously confused and didn't realize that the rope was no longer around his neck.

"Hook... hey, it's alright, it's David, I've got you mate, I've got you." he gently took hold of either side of Hook's head trying to minimize any further damage. Hook's face was contorted in agony, his jaw hung uselessly open as he continued to rasp in great gasping breaths in obvious distress. "Hey, it's OK, Emma's here, she's coming, just hold on, you hear me."

David couldn't help but notice in all the commotion that Hook had yet to make a sound, his eyes darted to Hook's neck once more and he realized that there was obviously more damage going on than he could see. David looked up as Emma jumped out of the bug leaving the engine running and the door wide open, she darted to his side skidding to a halt hands flying to her mouth as she took in the sight before her.

"Dad?" her eyes were huge and full of questions

"Emma we don't have time right now, we need to get him in the truck now. Come here, I need you to support his head and try to calm him down, be careful, he has a broken jaw." he scooted to the side and handed Hook's care over to his daughter. "I'm going to turn the truck around, we'll need to put him on the back, there's no way we can sit him up in the cab." he jumped up and took off.

He could hear Emma's soothing voice as he reversed the truck towards the two people on the ground, the young boy stood slightly off to one side just staring out in to space. He was moving once more, he threw down the tailgate as he went past the rear end then moved to crouch by Emma's side again. She seemed to have made good progress in calming Hook down, while still in obvious pain his breathing was much better and he had stopped writhing around.

"Honey, we need to move him, this is not going to be easy, I need you to keep his head and neck as still as possible." Emma nodded quickly. "Kid!" the boys gaze moved back to David, fresh tears falling down his cheeks.

"We need your help again, come on, you're doing great but I need you to lift Hook's feet for me. We're going to lift him up on to the back of my truck, you think you can do that?" the boy simply nodded and made his way over to the pirates feet.

"OK, on three we lift him straight up and slide him on to the tail gate." David crouched on Hook's left side lifting his hooked hand and placing it over his stomach then gently he lifted his right one too, moving to place it next to the left one he froze as Hook jerked in obvious discomfort but he realized he had little choice, he had to keep going. Once his arms were secure David slid one hand under Hook's back and his other just below his butt, they needed to do this quickly.

"One, Two, Three" they all moved at once lifting Hook straight up and onto the tailgate, Hook was gasping in pain again but David couldn't stop, he pulled his arms out from under Hook's body, jogged around to the side of the truck and used the rear wheel to clamber over the side and into the back.

"I'll take his head, you climb up then we'll get him moved further in" he turned to the boy once more. "Hey, you still with me?" the boy nodded "I need you to go into the cab of my truck, there is a stack of blankets under the seat, I need you to bring all of them." David had noticed that Hook had started to shiver, he hoped it was just from the cool temperature and not shock but either way he needed to get him warm as soon as he was settled. The boy took off as Emma clambered onto the back of the truck.

It wasn't easy but they managed to get Hook moved slightly further up, they got him propped up between Emma's legs, his back to her front, it was the best position as it meant Emma could keep hold of his head from behind and her body heat would help to warm him up, it wasn't ideal but much better than lying him on the cold metal of the truck. David engulfed the two of them in blankets moments later, made sure that the tailgate was closed then headed for the cab.

"Emma, it's going to be rough until we get back onto the highway, make sure you hold him tight" he gave her a smile of encouragement.

"I will, just hurry" he hated seeing the tortured look on her face. He jumped into the cab shouting for the boy to get in the other side and as soon as the boy had closed his door David took off out of the clearing at a frustratingly slow pace, he needed to get there quicker but he knew that the terrain was too rough so he carried on, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel in frustration.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

Emma wished she had a light, she couldn't see anything, the trees on either side of the highway were blocking out the moonlight. Her position was awkward as hell but she wouldn't move for the world, she literally held Hook's life in her hands, the thought of losing him sent sheer terror through her very soul. The journey was taking too long, she needed to be there already. Hook was mostly out of it again only occasionally giving a slight gasp if they hit a bump but she spoke to him none the less, she wasn't even sure if he could hear her but figured that it couldn't do any harm even if it wasn't helping him it gave her some kind of purpose, made her feel slightly less useless in this mad situation. After what felt like an eternity they turned into the hospital parking lot, David took them straight up to the emergency entrance where there were a team of medics waiting, he must have called ahead to let them know they were coming. The team descended in unison on the back of the truck and within minutes Hook was being whisked off on a gurney into the ER. Emma leapt off the back of the truck and ran in after them unwilling to let her Pirate out of her sight. She burst through the treatment room doors seconds after Hook but she was immediately greeted by several people all telling her she had to leave, she had other ideas, no one was keeping her out.

"Let me make this VERY clear, I am not leaving this room , I am not leaving his side. I am the God Damn Sheriff, there is no one else to call, well except for my Father so I suggest you stop wasting time and help HIM" she to pointed to Hook with her last word then ducked around the shocked people to take up a spot at the head of the bed.

Whale stepped closer to Hook's side and took in Emma's steely determination.

"Alright Miss Swan, you can stay but if I tell you to move you move and if I tell you to leave, you don't argue you leave. If anything goes wrong here I need space to work and if you get in my way or refuse to leave believe me I can and will have to force-ably removed. Are we clear?" he raised his eyebrow in question, gloved hands held out in front of him.

"Crystal" Emma spat out as she turned her attention back to Hook. She watched as they first put his neck into a large blue plastic brace then stripped his clothing off him using huge medical scissors. As each garment was removed they revealed more and more injuries across his entire body, hardly a piece of skin was unblemished. One of the nurses worked on removing his brace then applied pressure to the still weeping wound on his left forearm while Whale moved about the bed carrying on with his examination. He poked and prodded his way across Hook's torso down towards his hips, a sheet had been placed on Hook to maintain his modesty, Whale peeled it back to reveal each hip in turn, a look of concern on his face as he took in the sight of the right one, gentle fingers probed the large bruise that could easily be seen rising up and across his belly.

"I think we have a pelvic fracture here" he shouted out to no one in particular as he carried on down Hook's body pausing at his right knee which was obviously swollen. He moved to the opposite side of the bed, Emma had so many questions but didn't dare voice them, Whale would follow through on his threat she knew that and she wasn't prepared to leave Hook alone in a room full of strangers.

"A little help here if you please" he yelled out "I need to examine his back" the team of medics moved like a well oiled machine, each taking up a different place around the bed and one politely asking Emma to move to the side so that she could control his head. They turned him quickly to his left exposing his bare back to the room, Emma couldn't help the curses that flew from her mouth at the sight that met her eyes, his back was littered with bruises, she had been expecting that, what she hadn't been expecting was the large boot prints that marked his skin in a gruesome reminder of the feet that had struck him. Whale moved quickly, checking each vertebrae as he worked down his spine.

"Good, thank you" he said, Hook was lowered back down on to his back and Emma took up her place by his head once more.

Emma noticed his face was screwed up in pain again, when had he woken up? How had she missed that? He weakly tried to move, his left arm trying to come up to his neck, without his hook he really couldn't do much harm to himself but he was easily stopped by the nurse by his side as she lowered his arm back to the bed and held it there.

"Hey, it's OK, you're in the hospital, they're trying to help you now" Emma soothed.

Whale approached Hook's head now but spoke to Emma "Often patients who have suffered neck injuries like Hook has react like this to the neck brace, unfortunately it is necessary at the moment, there is evidence from his lack of vocal response that he has sustained an injury to his larynx. It is vital that we keep his neck as still as possible until we know the full extent of his injuries. I just need to check for head injuries then we can give him some pain relief which will make him more comfortable, he will most likely be heading straight to x-ray then on to theater, I don't like the look of his pelvis and want to investigate his neck and jaw as soon as possible, the other non life threatening injuries will probably be dealt with at a later time, I have no doubt that he is going to require surgery on his right arm but for the moment it is not a priority so will just be realigned as best we can and placed in a temporary splint."

At that moment Hook started trying to move again, he was in obvious pain and struggling with the nurses on either side of the bed. Emma stood directly above his head, she lowered her face so that their eyes were aligned, looking straight at him.

"Hook, calm down, come on listen to me." he continued in his weak struggles "Killian, come on, open your eyes, look at me" at the sound of this real name he stilled, breathing heavily he managed to peek his one good eye open and meet Emma's gaze. Emma nearly lost it, the pain in his eyes was palpable, he was practically screaming for her help in just one look. Emma battled hard to keep the tears in, he did not need that right now, she needed to concentrate on him. His eye slid shut once more, exhaustion tugging him away from her.

"Hey, come on now, Whale needs to check you out for head injuries" she nearly smiled at the look he managed to give, showing exactly what he thought of Whale doing such a thing but if Whale saw it he didn't comment instead he stepped up and spoke directly to Hook.

"Hook, I need to check the rest of your head now, you have a broken jaw and I suspect you may have a broken cheek bone but I need to make sure that there are no other injuries that I've missed. I'll try to be as quick as I can" without hesitation he started to run his fingers over Hook's head avoiding the obvious injuries.

"Great, no other obvious injuries, I need to shine a light into your eye for just a second." he quickly raised Hooks eyelid up on his good eye and flashed the light across it several times watching the pupil response, Hook's other eye was swollen shut and couldn't be opened even if he'd wanted to. "Great, that's that done. OK Hook I need to know if you have a headache. I need you to answer a few questions, blink once for yes and twice for no, do you understand?"

One slow blink

"Great, do you have a headache, I know your face hurts but does your head hurt?"

Two slow blinks

"OK great, Do you feel nauseous at all?"

Two blinks

"OK, any dizziness at all?"

Two more blinks

"OK great, that's me done Hook, you did great. I think we can rule out concussion, I'll get one of the nurses to get you some stronger pain relief" he turned to Emma "He's probably going to be quite out of it as soon as he gets it, if you want you can stay with him until he's had it then I'm going to have to ask you to leave while we prepare him for x-ray."

"Thanks Doc" was all Emma could manage as Whale turned to instruct the nurse on his findings. She gently stroked Hook's forehead with her thumb, his face smoothed out and he seemed more relaxed but she was pretty sure that it was probably more to do with the drugs that the nurse had just inserted into the IV line that they had put into his left arm just below his elbow than anything she was doing. He opened his eye and took her in.

"Hey" she smiled at him "You OK?"

One long blink

"Liar" she replied with a chuckle, she watched, sure she had seen a sparkle in his eye before it fell closed once more and stayed that way.

"He'll be much more comfortable now" the nurse said as she adjusted the sheet that was around his waist bringing it up to mid chest before adding a blanket on top of that. She gave Emma a warm smile as she finished and moved away to give them sometime alone before Hook was taken away.

Emma couldn't help the tears that fell as she looked at the broken man that lay before her, this couldn't be happening, this could not be her Captain Hook, the man was always so full of life, always moving, always talking, this was just too hard to take in. She looked at him lying there, was he going to be OK? Once again her mind went to earlier that night, she needed him to know that she had been wrong, that she did trust him and that she would do anything to set things right. She leant forward, voice low.

"You're going to be just fine, we both are. You and me are going to be stronger than ever, I need you to know that I was wrong earlier, I need you to know that I trust you, I trust you with Henry, honestly I do, I don't know why I said those things, I'm such an idiot." tears were streaming down her face now.

"God Killian, what did I do? This is all my fault. I sent you away tonight, I can't lose you... I ….. I need you, I..." words failed her for a moment but she knew that if she didn't say them now she may never get the chance, she took in a breath. "I love you Killian Jones, do you hear me you stubborn Pirate? I Emma Swan am in love with you Kiliian Jones, now it's up to you to get better so that I can hear you say those words back to me, I want to hear them Killian. More than anything else in the world."

If Emma hadn't been watching his face at that moment she probably would have missed the tear that escaped his good eye and trailed it's way down to disappear into his hairline. She rubbed the spot with her thumb before whispering "I love you" one more time then dropped a kiss onto his cheek. He sighed contentedly and she knew then that he had heard her, he knew how she felt, she just hoped that it was enough for him to fight for.


	15. Chapter 15

**Please ignore the funky chapter numbering, it shows as 14 on my computer but keeps uploading it as 15, if it reads 14 then ignore this statement lol. And on we go...**

David sat on the edge of the hard plastic seat in the waiting room, his knee danced to a staccato beat as he waited for news, his eyes kept being pulled to the treatment room doors where he knew that Emma and Hook were just inside, what was taking so long? He had called Mary-Margaret as soon as he had arrived and settled the boy onto one of the large couches where he now lay quiet and still but just staring ahead, a blank look on his face. Mary-Margaret had wanted to come down to the hospital as soon as she heard what had happened but he'd convinced her to stay put, he needed to get the boy away from the hospital as soon as he could, he'd wait for news from Emma then head back to the loft with him, he knew that Snow would go into full mothering mode and right now that's what both her and the boy needed to keep their minds from what was going on. He sighed looking at the clock, to think that he had been so tired a couple of hours ago was unbelievable as the adrenaline still pumped through his body making him jittery and nervous. A noise to his left drew his attention towards the doors once more, he was greeted by the sight of Emma emerging into the corridor, her arms hung lifelessly by her sides and her face showed no sign of emotion. As she slowly shuffled into the waiting room David got up to meet her, both his hands went to her upper arms as he held her at arms length, she looked beat.

"Hey, how's he doing?" he asked in trepidation

Emma raised her head and looked up in to his face, he could see fresh tears starting to form, they clung to her eyelashes until her first blink then tumbled down her face. She had no words, she simply started to cry, David pulled her into a tight hug, his stomach dropped, had something happened to Hook? Was he OK? He kept his questions to himself for the moment, his daughter needed comfort, he rocked her slightly back and forth in his arms and made shushing noises until she finally seemed to calm, she stepped back from his body and he immediately missed her warmth against him, maybe she wasn't the only one needing some comfort after all. Emma wiped her face roughly with her sleeve and moved towards another of the large couches, flopping down in a heap at one end.

"I'm sorry Dad, the last thing you need right now is me having a meltdown" her eyes met his as he took a place next to her on the couch.

"Hey, it's OK, you're allowed to be upset..." he paused not knowing if he should repeat his earlier question but he needed to know what was going on. "So, how is he? What's happening" he looked towards the doors again as if they would be able to give him some answers.

"They're getting him ready to go to x-ray right now then he's going straight into theater" she gulped in a breath "God Dad, you should have seen him, they beat the hell outta him, he had boot prints on his back, actual bruises in the shape of boot prints! They've broken his jaw, possibly his cheek bone and Whale is pretty sure he has a broken pelvis and that's not even taking into account his broken arm and the stuff we can't see, Dad, they broke his one good arm! I mean what he hell? Who does that?" Emma was working herself up into a state again.

"Hey, it's OK" David soothed, scooting over next to her and pulling her into his side, his arm wrapped around her shoulder as she fell into his embrace.

"It's not OK Dad, not even kinda. Those little shits are gonna pay for this if it's the last thing I do" she mumbled into his chest.

"Don't worry about that right now, you leave them to me." they sat in silence for a long time, David watched the young boy across from him, he'd finally fallen asleep a few minutes ago but David knew he had to get him back to the loft soon. The silence dragged on until he heard a small whisper from Emma.

"I was horrible to him Dad" was all she said, he could feel her warm tears against his chest as she turned her face into his side.

"This is not your fault you know, this is down to the Lost Ones and them only. Hook knows that you tend to fly off the handle and say things you don't mean, he's handled it before, he'll do it again. He'll be alright Emma, I know he will. You want to know how I know?" he looked down at her as her face slowly emerged from his side to look up at him

"How?" a puzzled look on her face

"Because all of this" he waved his hand around at the hospital walls "This is not dramatic enough for him, he'll not want to lose to a group of teenage boys, there's no dragons or curses for him to jump in front of to save his girl, there's no flair just plain old boring hospital stuff, nothing for him to laugh in the face of before he dies, that is so not the way Captain Hook would chose to go and finally... finally, I know in my heart that he won't want to leave you, he loves you Emma, he has changed for you, you and Henry are his family now and he is loving every minute of it. He is not going to give that up without a fight."

"I hope you're right Dad"

A few minutes later the doors swung open once again as Hook was wheeled through surrounded by a team of nurses and Whale. Emma was up and moving before David really registered what was going on. The team stopped briefly so that Emma could say her goodbyes before they wheeled him down to x-ray, David hung back not wanting to intrude.

"You should really head home Miss Swan, he's going to be away for a good few hours." Whale encouraged.

"I'm fine Doc, don't you worry about me, just you concentrate on making this one better" she was rubbing a soothing thumb down Hook's face again. "I promised him I'd stay and that's what I intend to do, just point me to a coffee machine and I'll be right."

Determination was a look that Emma wore well, Whale smirked then said. "There's a machine just down the hallway but the coffee tastes like tar and the tea isn't much better" he gave Emma a simple smile before they started off down the corridor with Hook. David watched as they disappeared around the corner then turned to Emma.

"I'm going to get the boy back to the loft now, your Mom is expecting us, I'll drop him off then head back as soon as I can"

"You don't need to come back Dad, I'll be fine. I'm just going to see if I can catch some sleep on one of these couches anyway"

"Emma, this is not up for discussion, I will be back in a few hours, I am not leaving you here by yourself... besides your Mother would kill me if I even tried to agree with you" he raised and eyebrow at the thought and Emma gave a genuine smile in agreement.

"Probably. OK, thanks Dad, I'll see you soon" she lent in and took another hug before dropping back down onto the couch she had been sitting on.

David managed to get the sleeping boy up in his arms without waking him, he turned to Emma as he was heading to the door.

"You want me to bring you anything from home?"

"My phone charger and a very large coffee"

With those two things he knew his daughter could take on the world, he gave her one last smile then turned, walking away, it was the last thing he wanted to do, Emma had been alone enough times in her life, tonight was not going to be another one of those occasions. He moved quickly needing to get back to her as quickly as possible, his baby girl needed him and he didn't plan to let her down.


	16. Chapter 16

**It makes me happy that so many people seem to be enjoying my story. I have wanted to write my ideas down for a long time but didn't think that anyone bar myself would find them entertaining, my brain is a very strange place lol. I'm so glad that I'm not the only person that loves "Hurt Hook" fics. OK, I admit it, I haven't just hurt him I have practically murdered him... oops my bad. Also I'm finding the whole having to translate all my normal terminology into American terminology a bit of a challenge so again I will apologize (see there I go again, we spell it apologise lol) if my spelling seems a bit off but I do try my best as it is an American show therefore it should use American terminology... just watch out for if I ever write a Scottish story, then you'll all be in trouble... Jings crivens help ma boab!**

 **Oh, Sidebar: One month until SEASON FREAKING 5! I seriously cannot wait.**

 **Anyway enough of my babble, you are getting two updates today as I may not be able to do one tomorrow, so enjoy.**

David made his way back into the waiting room several hours later, supplies in hand. He'd been away much longer than he wanted to be but it had taken a while to get the boy settled, he was now refusing to talk, leaving both David and Mary-Margaret frustrated by the fact that they couldn't even get him to tell them his name, they couldn't keep calling him "Kid" but didn't know what else to use so for now "Kid" he remained. Mary-Margaret had fussed over him, she had managed to get him to take a shower, provided him with some of Henry's old pajamas which where far too big but it was all they had at short notice. Then it all went wrong, the boy point blank refused to eat or drink anything and wouldn't stop crying, Mary-Margaret had sat with him, she'd hugged him close and hummed to him until she had finally got him to go to sleep on the couch, she covered him with a quilt and wished him sweet dreams, David had thought that that would be unlikely but he smiled at his wife anyway when she'd turned back to face him and made her way into his arms. He had filled her in as best he could with his limited knowledge on Hook's condition and assured her that Emma was fine. She had then insisted on making some food to take back with him and filled a flask with coffee knowing that the vending machines were just not good enough for what they needed.

David turned the corner and saw Emma, she was propped up on the same couch he had left her on a few hours before, her face was squashed up, her head supported by her own hand under her chin, someone had obviously covered her with a blanket at some point but it had mostly slid off of her and puddled at her feet on the floor. He debated with himself whether or not he should wake her but she really didn't look comfortable, he sighed, it had been one hell of a long night. He put the supplies on one of the small tables beside Emma's couch then crouched down in front of her giving her a small shake to get her attention.

"Hey, it's me" he whispered as her eyes flew open, she had a confused look on her face until she focused her sleepy eyes on him.

She smiled at him "Hey Dad", her smile morphed into a grimace as she tried to move. "God, my whole arm has gone to sleep!" she shook out the limb, flexing her fingers a few times before asking "What time is it?"

"Nearly five. Any news?"

"Nope, I gave up asking about three when snarky pants over there" she pointed with her thumb to the portly looking woman behind the nurses station "basically told me to shut up and stop asking every five minutes and that when there was any news I'd be the first one to know" she accepted a cup of coffee with thanks.

They sat in silence for a while both just sipping on their hot drinks until Emma turned and asked "How's the boy? Get anything out of him?"

"Not a thing, he won't speak Emma, those Lost Ones have really done a number on him. I'm hoping he'll do better after some sleep but Mom is going to give Dr. Hopper a call later this morning and see if she can get him an appointment. I don't want to rush him, he's been through a lot but I'm hoping he's going to be the key to finding the others, he'll know where their hide out is. He said something about Hook knowing where his Brother is, any ideas?"

Emma sat up straighter, a look of concentration on her face "He said that Rufio was alive when he was talking to me, do you think Rufio was his Brother? He can't be alive can he? Hook killed him by accident in Neverland, didn't he?"

"I have no idea anymore, anything is possible, their Neverland was NOTHING like the ones I've seen in any of the movies that we've watched, Hook never really went into details of his time there." David rubbed his hand down his face "I don't know of anyone in Storybrooke that is called Rufio though but I suppose they could be going by their cursed name but how would that even work? Surely if he was alive he would have been in Neverland when the curse hit. I'll need to check the register at some point, or even better, I'll get Mom to ask Belle if she can find out any information for us, if anyone can find this boy's Brother, it's Belle."

"Yeah, that's a good idea" Emma agreed a hint of hope in her voice.

They fell back into a comfortable silence, David considered asking "Snarky Pants" if there was any news but abandoned the idea quickly, they'd already said that when they knew anything Emma would be the first to know so he just stayed where he was. He felt Emma's hand slide into his and he gave it a soft squeeze as they both lay back, heads on the back of the couch staring at the ceiling tiles above them. David glanced off down the corridor and noticed Whale emerging from one of the many doors, he didn't say anything in case he wasn't heading their way but when it became apparent that he was David tugged on Emma's hand and indicated with a nod that Whale was approaching. Emma jumped up, rushing forward to meet him as he entered the waiting room.

"How is he?" the pleading tone in her voice tugged on David's heart strings, he hoped it was good news.

"Miss Swan, perhaps we should sit." Whale, a patient look on his face.

"I don't want to sit Victor, I've been sitting most of the God Damn night!" Emma grit out

"Yes, I am sure you have but I can assure you that I haven't and to be honest I am beyond tired" He pulled one of the plastic chair around in front of the couch and sat, motioning for them to sit back down.

Emma huffed out a breath before plonking herself back down, David sat next to her, taking her hand once more.

"Well?!" Emma cried out seconds later

"Emma! Calm down, let Whale speak" he looked at the Doctor in front of him , their history aside he still never really liked the man but he held the answers that they both needed to hear so he remained silent. Whale looked exhausted, he had dark circles under each eye and he was in obvious need of sleep. David squeezed Emma's hand once more as he waited for Whale to start speaking.

"He's doing as well as can be expected, we have him in the recovery room at the minute, he'll be getting moved to ICU within the next hour. He has extensive injuries that are going to take time to heal. I'll start at the top and work my way down just to keep it simple. His head CT came back clear and although his cheek and eye socket are very bruised and extremely swollen there are no fractures, the swelling should go down in the next few days then we can assess the vision in his right eye." Whale paused, he seemed to be making sure that it was OK to continue. David gave him a nod and he carried on.

"His bottom jaw on the other hand had two fractures, this is quite common with blunt force trauma. The first break is close to his chin, this has been the point of impact and the second is an indirect fracture, it's caused by the force of the impact traveling along the jaw line and it has snapped the bone at it's thinnest point just below his left ear." Whale trailed his fingers along his own jaw showing where the fractures were situated.

"I'll come to the treatment we've used in just a second. He has extensive abrasions and contusions around his neck, the x-rays show that while there are no bone fractures he does have damage to the cartilage within his larynx, this coupled with his jaw injury meant that we took the decision to wire his jaw closed. If it were just the jaw fracture we could have repaired the damage using plates and screws but the injury to his throat means that he will be nil by mouth until further notice so the wire was the best solution. We have also inserted a gastric feeding tube, it is going to be a battle to maintain a healthy weight with him unable to eat for himself so we will need to start the feeding process as soon as possible and this will continue until his throat is healed enough to allow soft foods."

David couldn't believe what he was hearing, Hook was going to have to be fed through a tube into his belly!

Whale carried on "He has badly bruised ribs but thankfully no breaks, this is a good thing, it's reduces the risk of breathing complications." He looked encouragingly at David and Emma. David turned to look at his daughter, she was staring intently at Whale, willing him to carry on.

"He has a long laceration on his left forearm that required 40 sutures but it was a clean cut that should heal well. His right arm, as I we all know has a rather nasty break, it will require surgery to insert screws and a plate as soon as possible, his little finger and ring finger also had breaks in them and there was a fracture to one of the small bones in his hand so we have placed his arm in a splint for the moment and taped his broken fingers together." Whale took in another breath before carrying on.

"He has extensive bruising to both legs and significant damage to his right knee that may require attention at a later date but at the moment we have strapped it up to stabilize the joint. Finally he has a fracture to his pelvis on his right hand side, it is what we call a " Duverney Fracture". It is a stable fracture by which I mean that the break has not traveled completely through the pelvic ring so it does not affect the weight bearing portion of the pelvis, the fracture involves the iliac crest which is the large bone that forms your hip. Pelvic fractures are notorious for their heavy bleeding and the iliac crest carries quite a substantial artery which thankfully seems to be unaffected but none the less Hook has lost quite a bit of blood so we have given him a transfusion and will be keeping a close eye on his levels over the next few days, hopefully we can avoid surgery."

Whale pulled himself to his feet "I'm not going to lie, he is far from being out of the woods, he has not just one but two life threatening injuries, the next 48 hours are going to be critical, he is breathing for himself at the moment which after a strangulation case such as his is a good sign but be warned, this may change and if it does we will need to insert a breathing tube through his throat due to the wiring on his mouth. After the first 48 hours his chances improve rapidly with every day there after. He has a long way to go but he is young... well, he presents as young, and healthy so his chances are good. He is being heavily sedated for the time being, we will monitor his condition on a day to day basis. Being sedated is the best thing for him right now, it gives his body a good chance to start the healing process and hopefully we can start to reduce this over the next few days but as I have said we will make those decisions one day at a time"

David stood too, he extended his hand out to a shocked looking Whale who hesitantly took his hand and shook it "Thanks Doc" was all David could manage, the information swirling around in is head was just too much to take in.

"No problem, I better get back. I'll send someone out to get you as soon as we get him settled in ICU" he gave a curt nod then turned and left leaving silence behind him, Emma just stared into space trying to digest all the details that they had just heard. David lowered himself back down at her side, his hand falling on to her knee.

She turned to face him "I could still lose him Dad... I can't lose him, I love him so much that it hurts... I can't do this without him" all David could do was pull her into another hug while they waited to find out when they could go and see the Pirate with their own eyes, a task David was not looking forward too but Emma needed it, she needed to be by his side so David put his own fears aside for his daughter, right now she was all that mattered. He held her tight dropping a kiss onto the crown of her head as she continued to cling to him seeking comfort, yes, he'd do anything for his girl, those Lost Ones were going to pay for causing her so much pain, he wouldn't stop until he'd got them all, of that much he was sure.


	17. Chapter 17

**For all you impatient little imps out there, be aware that I dragged my ass outta bed at 7:30am to do this update for you...if it's a bit off that would be from lack of sleep!**

 **Just kidding, it makes me happy that you guys are keen for more so who am I to deny you. I'm not 100% happy with this chapter but I worked on it for ages trying to work out the kinks soooooo I'll just roll with it.**

 **Please keep reviewing, they make me dance around like Rumplestiltskin hopped up on magic!**

Henry knew that something was wrong the minute his Grandma walked into his room early the next morning carrying a mug of hot chocolate, he eyed her suspiciously.

"Grandma, what's wrong?"

"Here, have some cocoa" she smiled and shoved the cocoa into his hands as he sat up in his bed. He took a few tentative sips but he continued to watch as his Grandma nervously sat on the edge of his bed .

"Grandma?"

"Oh Henry, I don't really know where to start, I was hoping your Mom could speak to you but I don't know when she's going to be able to come home and your Grandpa is with her so God only knows when he'll be home, he'll need to stay with Emma obviously until..."

"GRANDMA!" yelled Henry cutting off her rambling "Please, just tell me what's going on, where's my Mom, what's happened? Is she OK?" he was really worried now.

"Oh my goodness Henry, I'm so sorry. Your Mom is fine" Henry let out a sigh of relief but waited when his Grandma paused leaving an unsaid "But" hanging in the air.

"It's not your Mom Henry, it's Hook" she looked even more nervous, what was going on?

"What about him? Where is he?"

"Henry, I don't want you to panic." His Grandma took the mug from his hands and placed it on the side before taking a hold of both of his his hands in hers. "After Hook left here last night something happened, he was attacked and beaten up, your Mom and Grandpa are at the hospital with him but I'm sure he's going to be just fine"

She was trying to be too sweet, too confident and was deliberately being vague about what happened, Henry eyed his Grandma, a knot was forming in his belly, this was bad, he could just feel it, if it wasn't too serious there was no way his Grandpa would be at the hospital with his Mom, she'd be with Hook and Grandpa wouldn't stick around for that show.

"What happened? Who attacked him?"

"We're not 100% sure at the moment who it was" she was avoiding again

"Grandma, please just tell me, you're making this worse, I need to know the truth" he wasn't lying, he needed to know who had attacked Hook even though he was pretty much sure he already knew.

His Grandma looked nervous again before sighing loudly "I wish your Mom was here for this... We think it was the Lost Ones" she gushed out. " Hook chased Devin into the woods after he threw a rock through Granny's window and we think that's when they attacked him"

Henry's world disappeared for a minute, this was his fault, if he hadn't told Hook what the Lost Ones had done to him he would never have gone after them. He was panicking, his breathing picked up and he felt sick to his stomach.

"How bad is it? Please tell me, it has to be bad for Grandpa to be at the hospital with Mom"

"Henry, I'm telling you the truth when I say I don't know. I've not had any news for a few hours now, the last I heard, Hook was in surgery but that's all I know." she lent forward and pulled him into an awkward hug, the angle was all wrong but the sentiment was there.

"Could he die?" he whispered against her shoulder

"I hope not, I hope not" was all she whispered back

Henry couldn't believe this was happening, how could he have been so stupid to think that things were going to get better, Devin had warned him not to tell anybody but he hadn't listened and now Hook, the person who had convinced him that everything would be alright was the one paying the price. He clung to his Grandma as panic continued to grow, his Mom was going to hate him if Hook died! Oh my God, Hook could die, what would he do? He didn't want lose anyone else.

His Grandma slowly pulled out of the hug "There's something else Henry"

He wasn't sure he was ready for anything else, this was bad enough.

"We have a visitor" Henry's mind was blown, that was not the direction he thought the conversation was going to take!

"What? Who?" confusion written all over his face.

"We're not sure." she looked nervous again "He was one of the Lost Ones..."

"WHAT?! AND YOU BROUGHT HIM HERE AFTER WHAT THEY DID TO HOOK!" Henry was furious, he jumped up from the bed ready to go and face the boy.

His Grandma jumped too, darting in front of him anger on her own face

"Henry Daniel Mills, I thought we had taught you better than that" she cried out "You will not take that tone with me young man."

Henry immediately deflated "Sorry Grandma, but if they attacked Hook why did you bring him here?"

"He WAS with the Lost Ones Henry but I think he was "Lost" in the truest sense. He tried to help Hook last night, he spoke with your Mom on Hook's cell and led them to where they were in the woods. He helped your Grandpa a lot when he finally found Hook, Henry, if it wasn't for that boy down the stairs Hook wouldn't be here today." she put a supportive hand on Henry's shoulder as she carried on.

"I was hoping that maybe you could speak with him, he won't speak to me or your Grandpa, I know it's a lot to ask of you but he's been through so much and right now he needs a friend." she had such hope in her voice that Henry couldn't refuse

"OK Grandma, I'll try. If he really helped Killian it means he deserves a second chance" he gave a small smile and his Grandma beamed back at him.

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She didn't know if she could do this, Emma stood facing the doors to Hook's room in ICU, now that she was there she wasn't sure that she was prepared for the sight that lay behind them. David's arms slid around her from behind and he laid his chin on her shoulder.

"It's OK, take your time. If you need to come back later that's OK too, he'd understand, it's a lot to take in"

Her Dad was right, it was a lot to take in but she knew that if it were her in that bed on the other side of those doors Hook would be by her side in a flash, so with new resolve she shook herself from her Father's embrace and stepped forward pushing through the doors.

She managed to take exactly three paces into the room before her legs threatened to give way at the sight before her. Hook was lying slightly propped up by a mass of pillows, the left side of his face was really swollen, that and the fact that they had shaved off his beard meant that she could have fooled herself into believing that it wasn't him in the bed before her but her eyes fell on his left arm that lay by his side and she knew that there was no mistake.

Her breath caught in her throat as fresh tears threatened to fall. She felt her Father's hand on her lower back in support, gently reassuring her that he was there, by her side, she turned her teary face to him and gave a weak smile before stepping up to the bedside. It was a lot to take in, there were tubes and wires snaking in and out of the man lying before her. Every part of exposed skin was bruised, she wanted to reach forward and touch him but didn't know where she could lay a hand without causing further damage.

She stood on his right hand side, the side closest to the door, not even sure how she'd managed to walk that far. He still wore a neck brace but it was smaller than the previous one, it had gaps in the plastic where she could see through to his mangled neck beneath, rope burns and bruises formed a sickening reminder of how close she had come to losing him. His right arm was engulfed in a large bulky splint, his fingers so swollen and bruised that they had taken on the look of large fried sausages. She realized with a jolt that his rings were missing, she suddenly turned to the small cabinet at the side of the bed ripping the door open and looking inside but they weren't there.

"What's wrong?" David's voice appeared by her side.

"I can't find his rings and things, I need to find them, one of them belonged to his Mother and another was a gift from Milah!"

"Hey, it's OK, I'll go ask at the nurses station, they probably have them with the rest of his belongings" he gave her a reassuring smile then left the room leaving her alone with her Pirate.

The heart rate monitor beeped steadily on the other side of his bed, there were numerous other machines but she had no idea what they did. Her eyes were drawn back to his face, it was like night and day, the right hand side only had light busing under his eye whereas the left was unrecognizable. She shuddered at the thought of what he had gone through. Eyes moving further down she could clearly see that he was bare chested but his blankets were pulled up high, thankfully covering most of his other injuries although she could make out a large bulge of bandaging around his knee which also seemed to be slightly raised from the bed, she silently thanked the Gods, she wasn't sure she'd have been able to deal with much more today.

She pulled a chair up to his bedside and plonked herself down, the silence was deafening, she found that she didn't know what to do with herself so she pulled herself on to her feet again and went back to his side. She lent forward, careful not to disturb anything, she brought her face up next to his, her thumb finding it's way back to stroking his cheek.

"Hey, it's me. I told you that I wasn't leaving. I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere, you hear me, I am not leaving your side until you open your eyes and tell me yourself that I can, you're stuck with me buddy" a silent tear ran down her face but she quickly wiped it away, she was done crying it didn't do anyone any good, she needed to be strong for her pirate now. She smiled as she continued to stroke his cheek, he was still alive, he hadn't left her and she could work with that, one day at a time that's how they'd take it, one day at a time.


	18. Chapter 18

**OK I lied, I found time for another chapter after all, it rained so my plans changed, lucky for you guys I guess.**

 **A couple of peeps have asked why Hook didn't have a broken leg after he had been struck with the baseball bat and Devin had stamped on him, this is what has caused the "Significant damage" to his right knee which I may add he may need surgery on, I don't know why it didn't break but it didn't, I guess you'll just have to ask Dr. Whale for his expert medical opinion lol**

 **P.S. Haven't I broken him enough without his poor leg being mangled too?! ;P**

 **Shall we proceed?**

" **Yes" I hear you cry... well, on you go then my little Oncers, enjoy oxo**

David made his way back to Hook's room, a zip lock bag with his rings and things in one hand and his hook and brace in the other. He pushed the door slowly, peeking his head through, not wanting to disturb Emma if she still needed some more time. She was leaning over Hook's face, stroking her thumb along his cheek, he could hear her speaking but not what she was saying, he was just about to step back out to give her a few more minutes when she must have sensed his presence, she turned her head, realized that is was him and stood quickly.

"Did they have them?" she asked, her voice full of urgency.

"Yeah" he walked into the room "apparently his clothes weren't worth saving... although, now I come to think of it, he didn't have his leather jacket on when we brought him in but he definitely had it on when he left the loft last night, it's probably still in that clearing along with his other shoe. I'll have a look for his jacket later, Leroy's gonna take me out to pick up the bug later"

Emma was gripping the zip lock bag close to her chest as he spoke to her, she tipped her head when he mentioned her bug then screwed up her face at the thought.

"It's probably got a flat battery you know, I never went back to turn off the lights, the key was still in it and I'm pretty sure I left the door wide open"

"Yeah, it's OK, don't worry. Leroy's managed to borrow a tow truck just in case."

She gave him a genuine smile before her attention turned to the bag in her hand, David moved up to the head of the bed, he put the hook and brace onto the cabinet then let his eyes fall on his friend, taking him in for the first time since last night. He didn't dwell on it, he needed to be dealing with something he could control so he turned back to Emma who had sat back down on the chair by the bedside. He watched her as she first took his necklace out, she undid the clasp then one by one she slipped his rings onto the chain before lifting it up and fastening it around her own neck, she then reached up and removed one of her earrings before replacing it with his.

"There" she said with a satisfied look "Now I know they'll be safe and always by his side" she lent forward and trailed her fingers up and down Hook's bicep "I'll keep your memories safe, I promise"

David waited for a few minutes, not wanting to interrupt before he bent to give her a quick peck on the cheek.

"I'm just gonna go outside, I said I'd call Mom with an update as soon as I knew anything"

"It's OK Dad go, I'll be fine. I've got a captive audience here, I can speak about whatever I like and he's just gonna have to deal with it" she gave a smile that never quite reached her eyes, she wasn't fooling him but he smiled back and made his way to the doors, as he was going through he took one last look at his girl and her Pirate, she had sat back in her chair and was speaking to him like it was an every day occurrence to be speaking to an unconscious man in a hospital bed.

"Right Kiliian Jones, what d'ya want to talk about?" she paused before carrying on "What's that you say? You want to hear about why I first came to Storybrooke. Oh that's a good one, well, it all started on my 28th Birthday, I had bought a cupcake for myself on my way home, I used to do it every year..." he walked through the doors with a smile on his face, his girl was going to be just fine.

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Henry descended the stairs making his way to the breakfast bar, he could hear the loud breathing of the boy who lay swamped by a quilt on the couch under the window. He pulled himself up on to one of the stools and looked at his Grandma.

"Any news on Hook?"

"Grandpa just called" she came around and pulled herself up onto the stool next to him, they kept their voices low so as not to wake the boy on the couch.

"Hook is still really sick honey, he's out of surgery now so that's good but we still just have to wait and see. The next 48 hours are going to be tough for everyone"

"I want to see him" Henry pleaded

"Oh Henry, I'm sorry, it's just not possible at the moment, he really, really isn't up for visitors, he's not even awake and probably won't be for a few days" she took hold of one of his hands "hopefully by then he'll be doing better and we can see about getting you in to see him"

Henry's guilt gnawed at him, he needed to see Hook for himself, this was his fault, he needed to help make it better. He chewed on his bottom lip as his Grandma eyed him suspiciously.

"Henry, you know that this is not your fault, right?"

He stayed quiet knowing that she was wrong.

"Henry, talk to me, what are you thinking?"

He lifted his eyes to meet her gaze, a giant lump suddenly in his throat, how could she not get it, of course this was his fault, who else's fault could it be? She just sat staring at him, her brow furrowed in concern. A tear finally tumbled down his cheek and the next thing he knew he was engulfed in his Grandma's embrace. He hadn't cried like this in a long time but he couldn't help it, he just felt hollow inside like his life would never be the same again.

He eventually managed to sniff out "I just need to say sorry to him Grandma, that's all, I swear I wouldn't stay long"

"Henry" she said in a tough tone, taking his face in her hands so that he had no choice but to look into her face "You have NOTHING to be sorry for, do you hear me? Do you really think that Hook would blame you for any of this?! This is down to the Lost Ones, not you, you did not ask for them to pick on you, you did not tell them to attack you, you tried to be their friend and they were the ones that chose to not accept it. Hook helped you because he cares for you just like you would do if it were the other way round. He went after Devin last night because it was the right thing to do, he wanted to stop those boys from hurting anyone else, it was not you that hurt Hook it was the Lost Ones and it will be them that have to deal with the consequences."

Her expression softened and she stroked his face gently "You are a good boy Henry and Hook knows that, he would be upset if he thought that you felt any guilt over this, we need to be strong for him, for your Mom and for that boy over there, he has no-one, he gave up everything to help Hook, that is the kind strength we all need find to help us get through this."

Henry thought about her words, he realized that she was right. Hook wouldn't blame him at all for any of this, he felt much better about things. He still wanted to see Hook but not for the same reasons anymore, now he just wanted to see his friend and help him get better.

A noise from the couch had both sets of eyes turning to look at the boy lying there, he had shifted slightly and the quilt had moved to reveal his face. Henry gasped.

"Do you know him?"

"I think so, I think his name is Rapha but he was always really quiet in Neverland and even quieter here, I don't think I've ever heard him speak!"

They watched as it became obvious that the boy was waking up, his arms emerged from under the quilt when he stretched. He looked around the room with a bewildered expression on his face until his eyes met theirs at the breakfast bar, his gaze immediately falling to the floor.

Henry jumped from his stool and walked over to the boy.

"Thank you"

The boy looked up at him in utter confusion.

"You helped Hook" Henry simply stated with a shrug "That must have been hard to do, you know? Stand up to the others like that but you really helped him, you saved his life so I guess that means I can give you another chance. So we'll start again. I'm Henry, what's your name?"

The boy just stared at him in silence, eyes wide in disbelief.

"That's OK, you'll tell me when you're ready. You know I'm not going to leave you alone, right? You need a friend right now and I'm gonna be right here for you no matter what." He tried his best to give the boy a genuine smile

"You want some pancakes for breakfast? My Grandma makes the best ones ever." Henry was hopeful when the boy grinned back with a twinkle in his eyes.


	19. Chapter 19

**Wow... I'm humbled by all the lovely reviews, they make me very happy. Keep them coming, if you have questions please feel free to ask and I'll try my best to answer.**

David walked into the loft a few hours later, Henry and the boy were sitting at the table with Henry's "Once Upon a Time" book spread out in front of them. Henry looked up at the sound of the door closing, he jumped up and ran into David's arms.

"How's Hook?" he asked pulling back to look up into David's face with a hopeful look.

"The same Buddy, he probably will be for a while, they're keeping him asleep, it's the best thing for him right now, it will help him heal quicker."

"How's Mom?"

"She's fine, when I left her she was pretty much doing what you're doing here" he pointed to the book on the table "She was telling him about how you went to Boston and convinced her to come back here with you and every other adventure since then that he's not been a a part of." he gave Henry a wide smile as the boy's eyes lit up.

"When's she coming home?"

"I don't know Kid, we're all going to have to be patient with her, she needs to be with Hook right now, he's the one that needs her."

"I know Grandpa but I just want to make sure she's OK, I miss her."

David ruffled Henry's hair "I'll see what your Mom says, I'll maybe take you to the hospital later to see her. Let me clarify here, that would be so you can see your Mom Henry, don't get your hopes up about seeing Hook, that is not gonna happen for a good few days yet"

"Awesome, thanks Grandpa" he beamed.

"How you two getting on?" he looked between the two boys as he walked towards the kitchen.

"Great Grandpa, I was showing him my book and explaining everything about Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest." Henry gushed out.

"You OK Kid?" David met the boys gaze, he gave a small smile and a quick nod before quickly looking back down at the book in front of him.

David approached his wife who was standing on the kitchen side of the breakfast bar with Neal in her arms, she smiled sweetly as he lent in for a kiss.

"Our Daughter and Grandson are so alike sometimes" he chuckled

"And yet so different" Snow added with a chuckle of her own.

They watched the two boys for a few minutes until Neal started to fuss drawing their attention back to the kitchen. Snow moved the baby up on to her shoulder, bouncing him softly until he settled.

"How's Emma really?" Snow asked quietly

David turned his back to the main room and lent on the breakfast bar "She's fine, much better than last night now that she's able to sit with him. She's not leaving anytime soon Snow, we're going to have to keep an eye on her, make sure she's taking care of herself, you know what she get's like when she's got something big going on. When I left her she was talking the ears off Hook." he sighed "I guess she's going to be doing the talking for both of them for a while. I hate to admit it but I miss his annoying voice already" he gave her a sad smile.

"I know honey but he's going to be fine, I just know it and he'll be back to annoying you before you know it" she bounced Neal a bit harder when he made a few disgruntled noises.

"No luck getting the boy to speak then?" he needed a change of subject, he turned back to the boys at the table.

"Not yet" she chuckled as she watched their Grandson "Leave it to Henry, if he's not got that boy talking by the end of the day I'll eat my hat" she raised a knowing eyebrow as she turned and walked from the room to take care of Neal as he started to fuss again.

David couldn't disagree with his wife's observations as he watched the boy, he looked happy, his eyes danced across the pages in the book and he was totally absorbed in Henry's tales, the two boys chose that precise moment to burst into fits of giggles. David smirked to himself, yep, Snow was probably right. David grabbed some mugs and busied himself making some hot chocolate for everyone, he was standing warming the milk when he heard a small voice in the room behind him.

"Raphael" then there was a few seconds of silence, followed by "My name is Raphael but everyone calls me Rapha"

"Awesome, it's going to be OK you know, my family is pretty cool" he heard Henry reply

David was grinning from ear to ear, his Grandson had a way about him that people just couldn't help being drawn to, his personality was addictive, Rapha had not stood a chance once Henry had decided to help him, David's chest puffed with pride as he carried on with his preparations, his Grandson was certainly something special.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

It was decided that Henry would go with David and Leroy to collect the bug before heading to the hospital to see Emma, it wasn't ideal, David didn't really want Henry seeing the place where Hook had been attacked but Dr. Hopper had agreed to visit the loft to speak to Rapha and David wanted to give the boy some space.

Henry scooted over the bench seat in the cab of the truck and gave Leroy a wide smile as David slid in after him.

"Hmph...Alright Kid?" Leroy grit out

"Thanks for helping us get my Mom's car Leroy" Henry said with genuine sentiment as he continued to smile at the dwarf. David was sure he saw a smile tug at the corners of the dwarf's own lips before he threw the truck into gear and took off down the street.

The three rode in silence each caught up in their own thoughts, David just hoped that they would get the bug quickly, find Hook's jacket then get the hell outta there. He was wrong. Leroy pulled the truck up next to the bug, it was a mess. Every window had been smashed, every light was out and there was a large dent in the hood. Great!

David sighed before turning to Henry

"I need you to have a look for Hook's jacket, DO NOT go out of my sight and if you hear ANYTHING unusual you run and you shout as loud as you can, do you understand?"

"Yes Grandpa" the boy chimed in a sing song tone before climbing from the cab and heading out into the clearing.

David climbed out after him, he watched as Henry picked his way through the long grass, eyes darting everywhere in search of the jacket. David turned to take in the sight of Emma's bug but his eyes fell instead to the rope that lay on the ground next to it then without conscious thought his gaze traveled up to the branch from which Hook hand hung last night, God, was that only the night before?! He was caught, caught in the memories still all too fresh in his head when Leroy appeared at his side, he looked at the branch too.

"Nobody deserves that" he nodded up at the branch with his head then lowered his gaze as if he were ashamed "For a long time I thought that the Pirate was a dirty, good for nothing waste of space. I guess he proved me wrong. Come on Highness, let's get car on the back, we can deal with the rest when we get it back to the shop" he turned, scooped up the rope and threw it into to back seat of the bug before slamming the door. "The boy doesn't need to see that now, does he?"

The men worked in unison and quickly had the bug hitched up on the back of the tow truck, Henry walked back to their side just as they were finishing, he was wearing Hook's jacket and carrying his one missing shoe.

"I didn't know if Hook would want his shoe back, it's pretty beat up looking" he raised it up to show David,

David just smiled and took it from his grasp before ruffling his hair. "Ready to go see your Mom?"

"You betcha" he beamed as he climbed back into the cab of the truck next to Leroy who smiled too, yep the kid definitely had a way of making people happy that was for sure, David smiled to himself as he too climbed back into the truck and they headed back to town.


	20. Chapter 20

**I am literally in the dark with regards to this story... The bulb in my lamp has blown and I don't have another, I am sitting here trying to read my notes using the torch on my iphone, I guess it's the modern equivalent of writing by candle light!**

 **Well we'll see (or not as the case may be) how this goes... the show must go on and all that.**

 **Enjoy xx**

Emma wasn't sure when she'd nodded off but there was one thing that she knew for sure, she was gonna need spinal realignment if she kept this up. She hauled herself from the hard plastic chair and stretched, trying to knock the kinks from her back, she looked at the clock and realized that she must have been out for a while. She was still bone tired but knew that there was no way she was sitting back in that chair anytime in her near future, Henry would be arriving soon so she headed to the washroom to try and make herself a bit more presentable. She stared at herself in the mirror above the sink, God, she looked awful. Dark circles had formed under her very blood shot eyes, her skin was pale and her hair, what the hell? Why had no one told her that her hair was an absolute state. She plucked a few twigs from it before scraping it back into a high pony tail using an elastic that the had around her wrist before quickly washing her face then headed back into Hook's room. She had quite quickly got used to the nurses' frequent visits, they had to come in every hour or so to shift Hook's position on the bed, apparently it was to stop him developing pressure sores. She smiled at the small team as she saw them at work.

"Can I help at all?" she asked the closest nurse hopefully, she wanted to do as much as she could for Hook, to feel useful and to keep herself busy at least for a few minutes, she was starting to go stir crazy.

"Sure. Here, I'll show you how to wash him down, he's gonna need this done at least twice a day for the next few weeks, he'll probably feel more comfortable if you're able to do it for him when he's awake. I'm Jenny by the way and that's Esme and June" she pointed at the other two in turn, they both smiled as they set Hook into his new position, he was slightly tipped to his left with a large cushioned wedge at his back. Jenny then spent the next fifteen minutes showing her the ropes, it was a lot to take in, there were so many tubes and wires that Emma was frightened that she'd do something wrong and set off one of his many machines.

"Don't worry, you're doing fine, a few more goes and you'll be an expert" Jenny said encouragingly before tucking the covers back up over Hook and excusing herself from the room.

Emma smiled down at her Pirate, he was gonna be so pissed that she had just given him a sponge bath and he was unconscious for the whole thing, she made a mental note to make it up to him at a later date.

Whale came in a few minutes later to do his rounds, Emma perched on the the edge of the window sill and watched as he moved about the bed checking Hook's injuries one by one. Emma had seen them first hand just minutes before and didn't feel the need to see them again so quickly but couldn't help staring as Whale worked, there really wasn't anything else to do. First Whale gently unfastened the neck brace and carried out a thorough examination before fastening it back up and making a few notes on Hook's chart. He quickly whizzed through his other examinations until he came to the pelvis, he spent several minutes looking at the wide bruising that spread out across Hook's belly. Emma got nervous and took a few steps towards the bed, Whale glanced at her as she approached.

"He's doing fine Miss Swan, better than expected really. The swelling in his throat has improved, hopefully we can remove the neck brace tomorrow if the swelling stays down, the sooner we can get him moving his head and neck around the better, he will still need to be very careful but in the long run it will aid his recovery. He will still be on complete voice rest for at least a month, maybe longer. We need to ensure the soft tissue damage has healed fully otherwise he could cause permanent damage to his vocal chords. His pelvis is now my main point of concern with regards to further complications, the bruising has spread a bit further than I would have liked but his blood pressure is good as is his white cell count so at the moment we seem to be doing the right thing by just monitoring the situation. I plan to start reducing his sedation tomorrow, hopefully he'll be much more alert after that. He has a long way to go Miss Swan but the early signs are looking encouraging."

Emma let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding "Thanks Doc, you've just made my day." she gave him a tired smile.

"You look tired Miss Swan, I take it you plan on staying another night" he questioned

Emma instantly went on the defensive "I told you already, I'm not leaving him. If I have to miss a few hours sleep so be it, he needs me more than I need my beauty sleep"

Whale instantly raised his hands in mock surrender "You misunderstand, I was just going to ask if you'd like a bed brought in? This particular room is quite large and I'm sure I could rustle up something for you but if you'd rather spend another night in that chiropractor's worst nightmare that this hospital likes to call a chair, who am I to argue?"

"I'm sorry, I keep snapping at you and it's not fair. A bed would be great, thank you."

He was walking to the door when he said "No problem, I'll get one of the orderlies to bring one in later. Make sure you eat Miss Swan, I don't want to be having to deal with two patients in this room" he gave her a knowing look then pulled the door to leave just as David pushed it from the other side.

"Whale"

"David"

OK, so it was still awkward between those two but it was only to be expected, Whale had slept with... wait, scratch that thought, not even gonna go there!

"Hey" David smiled as he hugged her" here, I brought you a grilled cheese and onion rings, you must be starved."

Emma had to admit now that the news on Hook was a bit more positive she was suddenly ravenous. She took the bag from her Fathers hands with thanks, put it on Hook's bedside table before ripping it open and tearing into the sandwich, it was so good.

"Slow down Emma, you'll give yourself indigestion" David laughed "Your Mom sent some things, a change of clothes and a few wash things" he placed a small bag on the table next to her.

"Thanks Dad" she managed to get out between mouthfuls.

David pulled a root beer from his inside jacket pocket like a magician would pull a rabbit from a hat, holding it high above his head for her to see and Emma's eyes went wide in appreciation. "Oh my God Dad, you are the best. I hope you have a bottle opener for that."

"Of course" he took his keys out and quickly removed the cap then handed it to her, she downed half of it in one go, the bubbles going up the back of her throat into her nose and instantly making her eyes water.

"Hey, take your time" David exclaimed as she gulped in a few breaths, trying to stop the liquid from choking her to death. "Henry's waiting outside for you when you're done."

"How is he?" she asked, chewing on an onion ring.

"He'll be fine. He's missing you guys but he knows that you need to be here. Your Mom had to set him straight on a few things earlier, he was blaming himself for all of this" he pointed at Hook as if to clarify what he was talking about "He seems to have listened too, he's been great with the boy, he got him to finally tell us his name, it's Raphael but he goes by Rapha. Henry's been showing him his book, telling him all of our stories and just, you know, being Henry"

David paused, thinking for a second "Dr Hopper is with him now, I'm hoping he can get him to tell us about his Brother, that boy needs his family right now, I'm hoping we can at least get his name here to work with."

Emma agreed, she finished her meal by wiping her greasy hands down the front of her jeans. She straightened herself up and took in a few calming breaths, why was she suddenly nervous? It was only Henry that she was going to see but the nerves bubbled in her stomach anyway.

"Go on , go and see your boy, I'll stay with Captain Catastrophe over there"

"Dad!" Emma nearly spat out the last of the root beer that she had just taken into her mouth.

"Too soon?" he asked gingerly

"Yes, too soon... at least wait until he's awake to appreciate the put down" she gave him a warm smile before heading out to the waiting room to see her son. She needed a hug and right now he had one with her name written all over it.


	21. Chapter 21

**Soooooo... Today I go buy light bulbs!**

 **That is all.**

Emma made her way to the waiting room, she could see Henry pacing back and forth in front of the row of chairs, chewing on his bottom lip with nerves. He was wearing Hook's leather jacket and it wasn't nearly as big on him as it should be, her kid was growing like a damn weed! The moment he saw her he ran full force into her embrace, pulling her in tight like he thought she might float away if he let go.

"Hey Kid, it's OK, you're gonna snap something if you don't ease up soon" she teased.

"Sorry Mom, I just miss you" he gave one more squeeze then pulled back to look at her.

"I know Henry, I miss you too but Hook needs me, I can't leave him right now" she gave him her best sympathetic face.

"I get it Mom, it's OK honest, I understand, I just..." he trailed off as tears threatened to spill down his face once more.

"Hey, What's wrong? You know you can tell me, right?" she moved him over to sit on one of the chairs and crouched down in front of him, hands on his knees.

Henry looked even more nervous before gushing out "I know you said I can't see him Mom but I promise I'll be quiet, he won't even know I'm there. I just need to see him, make sure he's OK, just for a minute. I know you all think this isn't my fault but I can't get the argument you two had before he left the loft out of my head, you were fighting because of me, I caused that fight."

"You heard that?" Emma was shocked, she hadn't even thought about the possibility of him hearing her angry words.

"Oh Henry, this is not your fault and it's not mine. I said horrible things to Hook last night, I was mad, I was also wrong but Hook wouldn't blame either of us." she looked at her Son sitting in front of her, she knew exactly how he felt, she had sat there the night before feeling the same way, all she had wanted to do was sit by her Pirate's side, to see him breathing and be able to feel some hope that everything would be alright.

"Your Grandpa is going to kill me" she rolled her eyes before turning back to her Son "Alright Kid, you get five minutes"

Henry's face practically split in half with the smile he gave her "Don't get too excited, you may not feel the same once you get in there. There are a few things you need to know before you head through those doors, you need to prepare yourself so I'm going to tell you EXACTLY what has been going on"

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

David sat in the all too quiet room taking in the Pirate in the bed in front of him, unlike Emma he didn't feel the need to fill the silence. The heart rate monitor beeped steadily from the other side of his bed, it was probably the only sound that would be coming from the man anytime soon. David sighed and wondered for the millionth time how the hell it had come to this. He looked around the bare walls, nothing, there was nothing to see or do... God, this was insufferable, how could Emma do this? It hadn't even been twenty four hours yet never mind forty eight, he had literally been sitting there for less than ten minutes and he was bored out of his mind. In an instant he'd made a decision, Emma wouldn't do this by herself again. He would set up a rota, he was sure that many of their friends would help, Emma was not being left to sit here in this room alone again. He was just starting to make a mental list of people he could ask to help when he heard the door open, he turned and was shocked to see his Daughter's head poke through, he thought she'd want to spend longer with Henry.

"Don't get mad" she gave him a pleading look as she walked in followed by Henry "I told him he had five minutes". David buckled when his eyes fell on Henry's face, he looked like he'd been crying again, his eyes were rimmed with red, his face was puffed up and blotchy. David watched as Henry dropped his Mother's hand and slowly walked up to the bed where the Pirate lay. Emma stopped at David's side and he couldn't help the arm that came up and pulled her close, her head tipping to lean on his shoulder.

"Hey Killian" Henry started, he gave a nervous look over his shoulder at Emma who nodded at him in encouragement before he turned back to the bed " I hope you're doing better. I've got your jacket here, Mom says I can keep it safe, you know, until you need it again. It's totally awesome by the way, I can totally see why you like it so much. Don't worry, I'll look after it, your jacket..." he glanced over his shoulder at the two adults before lowering his voice a bit but not low enough that they couldn't still hear him "and the other thing, don't worry, I'll keep it safe"

"What other thing?" Emma mouthed at David

David just shrugged, he had no idea. The only other thing that they'd found in that clearing was Hook's missing shoe. Henry had walked around to the left side of the bed. David watched in awe as he tenderly took hold of Hook's stumped arm, his thumbs rubbing soothing circles on the Pirate's skin all the while his eyes never leaving Hook's face, David wondered if Henry was even aware that he was doing it.

"Yeah, so Rapha and me were reading my book, well I was reading it, Rapha can't read, I think he might be dyslexic you know, he says that the letters keep moving around the page so I "Googled" it, you know, looked it up online. Grandma says she's gonna do some research and if he is there are things we can do to help, isn't that great? I'm sure Grandma can have him reading in no time."

David was in awe once again at how easily Henry dealt with these things, he was so at ease with people even in extraordinary circumstances.

"I'll bring my book next time..." Henry carried on but David had stopped listening to what the boy was saying. His attention had been drawn to Hook's heart rate monitor. Every time Henry spoke Hook's heart rate rose by a few beats but when he stopped it dropped back down to it's normal level. David had thought he'd been imagining it to begin with so had kept quiet but when he realized that he was right he lent over and whispered it to Emma. At once Emma straightened up and watched carefully as Henry carried on talking.

"He knows Henry's there. Dad, he knows he's there. He's going to be alright isn't he?" tears shone in her lashes.

"He's going to be fine." he pulled Emma back to his side and she held him tight.

They had been standing watching for a few minutes when there was a commotion outside the doors, they both turned in surprise as the doors burst open and Whale marched in holding up a young boy by the scruff of the neck.

"I believe you are looking for this piece of trash" Whale grit out.

David looked at Whale's angry face, he could clearly see a welt under his right eye and the Doctor wore a rather impressive split lip, blood had seeped into his teeth making him look even more irate.

"I found him in the supplies store with these" he held his other hand out showing some wrapped dressings "It seems that one of the Lost Ones is in need of medical attention."

David moved forward and took hold of the boy, he was maybe fifteen, scrawny with dirty blonde hair.

"What's your name boy?" David gave him a slight shake as if to emphasis the point that he was speaking to him.

"Like I'd tell you" the words were harsher than the conviction with which they were said, the boy didn't seem like a leader, definitely a follower, not the brightest by a long shot, probably as lost as Rapha had been with no family other than the one he'd joined for an untold amount of time in Neverland but unlike Rapha this boy was willing to use his fists to get what he wanted.

"Fine, you don't need to tell us, it makes no difference to me, you're still getting locked up Kid." David sighed out

"Devin will save me, you'll see, he'll come for me" the boy said defiantly

"His name is Tootles" Henry called form the other side of the room.

"My name is Tootz" the boy cried indignantly

"Wait, what? Tootles as in THE Tootles?! THIS is Tootles?!" Emma stared in awe "I guess he really did lose his marbles!"

Henry burst out laughing and the boy looked confused, David couldn't help the smile that slid onto his face as he turned to the man in the white coat beside him.

"Thanks Whale" David gave him a quick nod as the Doctor excused himself, bringing his sleeve to his bloody mouth and mumbling curses as he went.

"Henry, I guess your visiting time just got extended, I've got a Lost One to book in at the station" Henry pumped his arm in the air in triumph.

David turned to Emma "I'll be back soon. Don't worry, we'll get them all soon enough, there's nowhere they can go now without someone seeing them. It seems that this town has finally had enough of the Lost Ones of Neverland, they will learn quickly that they shouldn't have messed with us and he" David nodded towards the bed "he is now, well and truly one of us"

He gave his Daughter one of his widest smiles as he practically dragged the boy from the room, yes, this was just the beginning , let Operation Nevenger commence.


	22. Chapter 22

**I have no idea if people are still interested in this story as my "View Counter" gave up working a few days ago and the reviews have dropped off, am I doing something wrong? Is the story not keeping you guys interested? I will carry on for the moment, I'm finding it quite therapeutic to be honest so don't worry if you are enjoying it, I promise I will finish.**

True to Whale's word Hook had his neck brace removed the next afternoon, the day after that they had carried out the surgery on his broken wrist, the swelling had gone down enough to allow them to work on it without fear of doing further damage,. They had started to reduce his sedation the next morning and Emma was like a kid on Christmas Eve, she couldn't sit still. She kept jumping up to his bedside and staring into his face willing him to open his eyes but he failed to wake that day or even the next, in fact it took until day seven for that to happen and of course it was once Henry had arrived after finishing school, it was like Hook was waiting for the right moment and he didn't disappoint.

Emma was sitting in her usual spot by the bed and Henry sat on the left, her Son had his book flat out on the bed next to Hook's hip and he held his stump in his right hand, something Emma had noticed him do a lot. He was reading the story of how Snow White and Prince Charming had met, the new version, since it had changed when Emma and Hook returned from the past. Out of habit Emma had taken to watching Hook's heart monitor mostly out of boredom and lack of anything to do. She listened to her Son's soothing voice, he was just telling the part where Emma had introduced them as Prince Charles and Princess Leia when he burst out laughing.

"I still can't believe you used those names Mom, it's just too funny" he continued to chuckle to himself but Emma wasn't listening, her eyes were fixed on the monitor, when Henry had laughed Hook's pulse had spiked, she watched as it continued to beat at a faster rate than it has been. Butterflies started to flutter in her belly when Henry gasped and stood up.

"What?" Emma jumped up herself, looking at Henry for answers.

"He moved Mom, I swear, he brought his hand... well his stump but you know what I mean, he brought it up to my face while I was reading"

Emma stepped forward eyes going straight to Hook's face unprepared for the emotion that hit her when she realized that his eye was cracked open a tiny bit and he was staring straight at Henry.

"Hook?" her voice cracked "Killian, hey... Please look at me" she pleaded.

His eye closed and she thought that maybe that's all they were going to get for the day but he didn't let her down, she watched as his eye moved beneath it's lid then cracked open again to reveal the perfect blue beneath.

"There you are, I've been waiting for you to come back to me" she managed to keep her voice steady but couldn't control the tears that spilled down her cheeks, his eye slid closed once more but she couldn't miss the very real smirk that lifted the right hand side of his face before his features smoothed out again and he was taken back by sleep.

He had known her, he had known Henry, he was going to be OK. She had told herself this a million times over but until this moment she'd never truly believed it. Heart wrenching sobs broke free from her and her knees buckled sending her to the floor, the heartache and pain that she had tried to contain over the last few days had burst free and she couldn't stop them, they held her in their grasp and refused to let go.

"Mom, it's OK, he's going to be fine" tears of fear for his Mother streaked down his own face, the poor boy didn't understand what was happening.

"I know Henry, I know" was all she could manage as the two rocked in each others arms on the floor of the ancient sea pirate's room, the same pirate who had once again proved that he was indeed a survivor.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

"He woke up Grandpa, Grandma. He finally woke up, for like, less than a minute but still." Henry yelled out as they walked into the hospital room, David holding baby Neal in his arms.

Snow looked at her daughter for confirmation and when Emma nodded the relief that washed over her was unexplainable. She had been worried about Hook sure but not half as much as she'd worried about Emma. The mother and daughter were hugging in seconds, happiness and laughter filled the room making them all feel a bit giddy. Something had changed in the few short hours since she had left, there was hope in the air and Snow welcomed it with open arms.

"Rapha with Dr Hopper again?" Emma asked when they had all settled into to the chairs again, she held her brother in her lap and made googly faces at him during her conversation.

"Yeah" David answered "I'm going to go get him soon, I'll take Henry home and get the boys some supper. You're Mom's gonna stay with you for a while then Ruby's gonna swing by a bit later with food for you and take her home"

"Great. How's the investigation going" Emma asked her father in a sing song voice as she continued to play with the baby.

"Slowly, I'm struggling, I am down by a sheriff and a deputy and as much as I hate to admit it the both of you do sometimes come up with some good leads." he said with a smile

"Hey, watch it" Emma growled back "Or I'll tell Hook you were worried about him when he wakes up"

The family laughed again then fell into a comfortable silence, they all watched as Neal giggled at his Sister's silly faces.

"Why don't you bring it here?" Henry chipped in.

"What?" David and Emma answered in unison.

"The investigation." he simply said. "Well, Mom's here, bring all the files, they have wi-fi, right? So she can access all the information she needs."

"Henry, you are a genius." Snow said in amazement, why had they not thought of this? It would give Emma something to focus on.

"That's a great idea Kid, I can work from here and Grandpa can help when he comes to visit plus Hook's not gonna want to just lie and stare at blank walls when he wakes up, let's give him something he can help with." she beamed at Henry.

"I'll bring the files over tomorrow as well as one of the computers, I'm sure Whale won't mind if we commandeer a small part of his hospital as the new headquarters of the "Nevengers"

"I don't care if he does" groused Emma "Those boys have evaded us for far too long, it's time we showed them that they messed with the wrong town"


	23. Chapter 23

**WOW... you really did hear my pleas for more reviews huh? Thank you so much, I at least know that you are still interested. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep them coming, it's much nicer waking up to 13 new reviews than waking up to not being able to tell if even a single person has read the story that I have put blood sweat and tears into. I'm was finding it quite hard to gauge if anyone still cared with the view counter not working which is very frustrating! Oh well, never mind.**

 **The most common concern from people seems to be the early removal of Hook's neck brace... Ah, you silly little sausages, do you not realise what the first thing Captain Clumsy is going to try and do when he wakes up? Yip, he's gonna try and move and I'll let you into a secret, it's not going to be the last time he does it either PLUS you should be more concerned about his pelvis, Hook stuck in bed with no voice is going to be so much more fun... trust me! I am evil to him lol**

 **So, are you sitting comfortably? Did you forget your Hot Chocolate with cinnamon? No, well on I go... enjoy xx**

Mother and daughter sat side by side, the silence hung heavily in the air. David and Henry had just left seconds before and Snow was sure if she listened hard enough she could still hear the echoes of happiness within the walls of the room. Emma was smiling widely, she finally had something to be happy about but as Snow watched her she could also see the weariness in her soul.

She gave her's knee a light squeeze "You OK?

"I'm more than OK Mom" she beamed back.

"You look beat Emma!" Snow retorted

"Yeah, that much I'll admit, I bet I look a state?" she seemed suddenly aware of her disheveled hair

"I've seen you look better" she gave a chuckle "Listen, Ruby's going to be here soon with food, why don't you go and have a shower and get into your pajamas then it means you can eat and have an early night, I think you need it Emma, it's been quite a day!"

Emma's eyes fell on Hook.

"I'll be right here Emma, I promise but you need to start taking better care of yourself now you know he's going to be fine." she stood up, pulling Emma to her feet. "Come on, no arguments, you listen to your Mother for a change"

Emma rolled her eyes "I'm not a kid Mom"

"Yes Emma you are, you are my kid and sometimes I know what's best, now go" she stood pointing to the small bathroom off to her right.

Emma grabbed a few things and headed through the doorway, a few minutes later Snow heard the shower start and nodded her head with a satisfied smile on her face, her girl was going to listen to her whether she liked it or not. Snow at once started to fuss over Hook's bedding, straightening it out and making sure his feet were properly covered. She had just moved around the side of the bed to fix the blanket across his chest when she happened to look at his face to find him watching her through his one bleary eye.

"HOOK! Oh my goodness, it's so good to see you awake" she practically yelled

He flinched at the volume which in turn caused a frown of pain to appear on his forehead.

"Sorry, she whispered. I'm just so happy that you're going to be OK" he gave her a weak smile.

She watched as his eye took in the room around them, he wore a look of confusion, his brow furrowed low.

"You're in the hospital, remember?" his eye instantly darted to her, a look of panic clear on his face.

He was confused, she could see it on his face, did he not remember what had happened? She watched as he tried to shift his position slightly which didn't go well, he froze in pain his lips pealed back from his teeth revealing the metal work inside.

"Hey, don't move, you need to lie still, you're hurt"

Again a look of utter confusion crossed his face as he looked down at himself in the bed then brought his gaze back to her.

"Don't you remember what happened?"

The minute he moved she knew she shouldn't have asked the question, he obviously realized that he couldn't open his mouth to answer so instead chose to shake his head. Snow's own heart missed a beat at the look of agony that flashed across his face, his whole body locked in pain and harsh breaths rasped through his locked jaw as he tried to bring his pain level back under control.

"OH HOOK, I'm sorry" he tried to move again, curling in on himself slightly, obviously trying to alleviate the pain in his neck only to trigger it elsewhere, it was a vicious cycle

"Lie still, I'll get Whales, just hang on for a minute" Snow slammed her hand onto the call button as Hook continued to try and escape his own misery in front of her.

Seconds later a team of nurses rushed through the door and immediately got to work, seconds after that Emma burst back into the room.

"MOM... what's going on?"

Snow ran to her daughter's side "Oh Emma, he woke up, he was so confused, he didn't know where he was or why he was here then he tried to move his head, he was just in so much pain after that, I had to press the call button, I am so sorry Emma"

"Hey, it's not your fault, it was bound to happen sooner or later, you don't think he's just going to lie still for the next few weeks do you. It's OK Mom, it's OK." Emma's soothing words calmed Snow down enough for her to be able to turn back to the people working at the bed.

Hook was mostly calm again, she could see that he was still breathing quite heavily and that a sheen of sweat had formed across his face but apart from that he looked much better. The nurses slowly disbanded and Emma made her way to his bedside. Snow watched her while trying to calm her own breathing down, her hand covering her mouth, still in shock at what had just happened. Her own heartbeat still felt too fast in her own chest so she sucked in a few deep breaths to steady her nerves.

"Hey you" Emma smiled at the pirate as his gaze fell on her "You need to take it easy. You practically gave my Mom a heart attack. Slow movements from now on, you hear me?"

Snow slowly walked over to join her daughter, Hook moved his gaze to her face as she came to a stop, he gave her a small smile before his eye closed again in exhaustion. Emma reached for the wash cloth that was on the side, she dipped it in the cool water that was still there from his earlier bed bath then brought it too his face slowly wiping away the sweat. He lent slightly into her touch as she worked and Snow watched as her daughter finally lent over to give him a kiss on the cheek as his breathing evened out in sleep.

"Sleep tight Captain" she whispered before turning back to Snow "Well that was fun!" her voice thick with sarcasm.

The two sat back down, waiting on Ruby to arrive, Emma's hair hung wet down her back, her pajamas looked like she had thrown herself into them.

"Emma, go and finish in the bathroom, if you leave your hair like that Hook is going to think his room have been invaded by Medusa in the morning" Snow said with a laugh

"Nah, he wouldn't care, he's too besotted with me to see anything other than my inner beauty!" she gave a snort of laughter before taking herself off to the bathroom again.

Snow shook her head, those two made a fine pair, she loved how strong Emma was but she also loved how Hook wasn't fazed by it, especially considering how old he was. When she had first met him he had seemed rude and arrogant but she saw through that now, that was just his way of hiding his pain, the pain of losing his first love. This Pirate in front of her did nothing by half, when he loved he gave it his all and she knew that he loved Emma with all his heart, he had proved it many times over. Who would have ever thought that Snow White and Prince Charming would have a Sea Pirate Captain for a Son in Law. Wait, she was getting a bit carried away here, they weren't even engaged. I wide smile split her face at the thought of her daughter having a huge ball for her engagement party, she could help her pick out her dress, they could have dancing and singing... she was pulled from her reverie by Emma coming back into the room.

"What are you grinning at" she eyed her Mother with caution, pace slowing slightly.

"Nothing, nothing at all. I was just thinking" she said in her sweetest tone.

"That's what I'm afraid of" she heard her daughter reply but it just made her smile even harder.


	24. Chapter 24

**Well I'm not sure how long you guys will have had to wait for this, the fanfic server has been down for hours now (hopefully they are fixing the view counter YAY). I will continue to type up the updates and hope that it's back online sooner than later, you may get a multiple chapter update when it comes back up.**

Killian had never felt pain like it before in his life and that was saying something, he could also hear a beeping noise, it was what had awoken him in the first place but he couldn't figure out what could be making it. His mind was foggy, had he been drinking rum? Wait, he had a vague memory of David, it niggled at his brain but kept skittering away from him before it could become clear, had they been drinking together? This was infuriating and why did his eyes not want to open? It must have been a really hard night. He tried to roll on his side to pull himself from his bunk, the instant pain was enough to leave him wishing he'd never been born. He panted through the worst of it, what the hell was going on? Another memory popped into his head, Snow White was telling him he needed to lie still, she had been saying something else but the rest was a blur, had Swan been there?

Finally he managed to open his eye, why could he only open one eye? He was beyond confused. The room he was in was dark in front of him, there was soft illumination coming from a small light off to his right and that blasted beeping noise was coming from some contraption on his left, he glared at it but it didn't stop. He closed his eye again, thinking hard to try and figure out where he was. Flashes of memories skated around in his head, he remembered pain, a lot of it, he remembered Whale, why did he remember Whale? Had he been drinking too? No, that wasn't it. Whale had been asking him questions. Gods, if Whale had been there that could mean only one thing, suddenly he knew exactly where he was and he wasn't impressed one little bit, he let out a sigh, Heaven help him, he was back in that damnable death house.

What had happened? Was Swan OK? His heart rate picked up, suddenly he desperately needed to know what was going on, he needed to make sure that everyone was OK. Had there been another battle, who had they been fighting? Gods, his head was so muddled.

While trying to get his breathing back under some sort of control he suddenly became aware that he couldn't open his mouth and that he had no voice when he tried to curse. What in the blazes?! His eye popped back open in surprise, what magic had they used on him, he needed to find Emma now.

He tried to take in the rest of his appearance, looking at the bits of his own person that he could see. He gingerly lifted his right hand off the bed and took in the white cast that adorned it, it became apparent that his arm was broken, he wasn't however prepared for the pain that flared when he tried to move his fingers. Was there a not single part of him unaffected by pain?! The dull ache across his hips and up through his rib cage pulsed in time to his heart beat and that wasn't even taking into account the pain in his neck, he felt like someone had tried to rip his head from his body.

Finally he came to the conclusion that he was trapped in the bed, he may as well still be wearing the blasted cuffs that Swan had used on him the last time. Now he was pissed, he unconsciously tried to clench his jaw in anger only for pain to flair up across his face. Gods, this was intolerable. He was alone in this hell hole and he had no memory of why or how he had got there.

A noise in the darkness only added to his anger, there was someone else in his room. Knowing his luck it was probably the Damned Crocodile! He squinted into the darkness, now that he was looking properly he could make out the other bed in the corner, a figure lying under a blue blanket the same as the one that was across his own bed. Then everything changed in the next second, his mood switched from anger to panic when the other patient mumbled in their sleep.

"Hook... please, come back to me" the voice was quiet but he couldn't mistake that voice for any other, it was Emma.

Was she hurt? He was back to a million questions. He needed to wake her, time of night be damned. He glanced around him looking for anything he could use to get her attention. He quickly realized that he was going to have to move his head in his quest to wake his sleeping beauty. Scrunching his eyes up in concentration he slowly turned his head to the right so he could fully see the bedside table. Opening his eye again he took the small victory in his stride, there on the side was a pitcher of water. Suddenly his plan seemed like a mammoth task, he needed to knock that pitcher onto the floor, surely that would get someone's attention.

He sucked in a breath and held it against the pain he knew he was about to inflict upon himself as he slowly lifted his right arm from the bed. His arm felt strange, disjointed from his body, the extra weight causing his arm to develop a wobble before he had even got it half way to it's target. He took one last look at the pitcher before screwing his eyes shut in concentration, the angle was awkward but he finally managed to bring his hand to the back of the pitcher and shoved it onto the floor where it clattered, echoes rang out against the walls and water was sent high into an arch as it splashed it's way across the room.

He was spent, he had no energy to control his arm's descent so he ended up lying slightly twisted on the bed with his hand settled somewhere above his head where gravity had let it fall, he probably could have stayed that way if it were not for the strain that the position was putting on his damaged ribs. He lay panting once more, the darkness tugging at him, trying to pull him back into sleep but he fought it with all his might, he needed to know if his Swan was alright.

"Hook? What on Earth?" he opened his eye again searching her face, she looked fine, she wasn't hurt. Why was she in his room then? Was she there for him? How badly had he been hurt?

"How did you manage that?" she added with a chuckle, she sat herself on the edge of his bed in the space that his hand had been moments before, she reached above his head and gently brought his broken arm back down to his side relieving the pressure on his ribs. She held his hand in her lap wrapping her small fingers around his thumb and giving it a slight squeeze.

She was alright and she was there by his side, he was so relieved. His breathing calmed as he took in her face, she was beautiful, a picture of perfectness and she was there for him.

She smiled at him "My Mom said that she thought that you might not remember what happened. OK, we need a system here, if I ask you a question blink once for yes and twice for no."

Why did this feel familiar? He gave her one blink.

"OK, so do you remember what happened?"

Two blinks

"OK, what's the last thing you remember? Do you remember talking to Henry about the Lost Ones?"

One blink

"OK, do you remember coming to the loft for dinner?"

One blink

"Do you remember me losing it at you" she asked, screwing her face up in anticipation of his answer.

What? No, why had she lost it at him? What had he done wrong? He gave her two quick blinks.

"Great, of course you'd block that bit out" she sighed."Are you sure you want to know?"

One blink, yes Love, get on with it.

So for the next twenty minutes Emma recanted the details of that night from the previous week while he lay listening to what seemed to be somebody else's story.

"I thought I'd lost you Killian" the last words came out as a sob. He was totally bewildered, he couldn't remember anything, how had all this happened yet he had no memory of it? In that moment he realized that although he had no memory it made no difference, Emma remembered all too well, she had been by his side since that night, refusing to leave. His heart swelled in his chest and his emotions threatened to break free. He managed to close his good fingers over her's that clung to his thumb and a smile slowly spread over her face.

They sat like that for a short time but as much as Kilian fought it he couldn't help it when the darkness took him once more and he fell into another deep sleep, his Princess sitting by his side.


	25. Chapter 25

**I'm so sorry guys, I so thought that I had already uploaded this chapter and wondered why no one had mentioned the big development in the reviews... Yeah, that'll be because I didn't do it! Oops, my bad. Anyway I hope the fact that this is a longer chapter helps you get over my mistake.**

 **On we go once more unto the abyss... enjoy xx**

The next few days passed in a similar fashion, Hook would wake up for short periods, Emma would talk to him, keeping him up to date with everything that was going on. He had given a wide smile when she told him that they had finally figured out that Rufio really was alive and going by the name Rufus, he was indeed a ranger and seemed to live somewhat of a nomadic lifestyle. This in itself had caused problems as it had meant that they were having a hard time tracking him down.

The dwarves had volunteered to head out into the woods in scouting parties of two to find him, this of course meant that one dwarf was left out but that worked out just fine, Leroy got deputized. He had become Emma's right hand man. While Hook had slept she had worked on the case but had found it increasingly frustrating that she couldn't just go and follow up on a lead, Leroy was the obvious solution and being honest he was doing a good job.

Dr. Hopper had had mixed results with Rapha, while the boy was happy to speak about all the stuff they had got up to when he had still been with the Lost Ones he couldn't really help them pin point where their hide out was. Firstly he was unfamiliar with their land and couldn't even point out anything helpful on a map and secondly they never stayed in one spot for more than a few nights, this explained why they'd been having trouble tracking them down.

But finally two weeks after the attack they caught a break. Rapha had told them how the boys were managing to eat, they had figured out that if they hung around the back of different stores at different times of the day that they could steal stuff when the deliveries arrived. David had immediately set up surveillance on several stores across town and it paid off, finally just that very morning they had managed to catch Nibs and Xylo red handed as they were helping themselves to fresh bread at the back of the grocery store. They had tried to make a run for it but with the help of the owner and Leroy, David had got them.

Three down two to go.

Emma had chatted excitedly to Hook about it but that was before things went downhill. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was still wrong with Hook, he tried his best to look happy when she was with him but when he wasn't forcing a smile onto his face or he thought that Emma wasn't watching he fell into a scowl. She'd had enough of watching him suffer so had started asking him every question she could think of to try and get to the bottom of it, in the end she had lost her temper, not at him, at the situation but the result was the same, Hook had closed his eyes and refused to answer anymore questions and in her frustration she had called him a child.

That had been two hours ago, of course by the time she had calmed herself down and realized that she had been completely out of line he was sleeping again. She needed to apologize, again! If she was finding it frustrating what must he be going through? God, this whole thing was torture. She saw movement on the bed as he stirred awake and she was at his side in seconds.

"I'm so sorry, don't hate me. I just worry about you Killian. I can see that something is bothering you but I don't know what it is, I don't know how I can help you and I'm finding it all a bit frustrating. I went about it all wrong earlier and took it out on you. Can you forgive me?" she gushed out

He simply smiled at her then took her hand in his, raised it to his mouth and kissed it gently. Yeah they were fine, he always knew just what to do to make her feel better.

"I think I can do one better than that" she hadn't dared to do this before this moment, not wanting to hurt him but she couldn't help it when he looked at her the way he did. She took her hand from his grip and slid her butt on to the edge of the bed holding his hand in her lap once more then she lent over, her lips met his and all was right in the world for a few short seconds, that was before the door to the room burst open and David waltzed in.

"Not interrupting am I?" he said, voice full of mischief.

Emma sat back, Hook's eyes danced with laughter and his smile was so wide it showed off his teeth, Emma gave him a playful tap on his chest before climbing off the bed to go strangle her Father.

Emma ate lunch then spent a while reading to Hook while her Father looked over her case files , Belle had dropped off some books from the library, they were mostly tales of sea voyages and battling numerous sea monsters but Hook seemed to enjoy them. He had fallen asleep a short while ago so Emma had joined her Father at her desk. There was a large map stuck up on the wall, red pins poking out showing all the places that the remaining Lost Ones had been sighted in the last week.

"We still need to catch those other two" Emma grit out in frustration

"And we will Emma I promise" David smiled at her. "Rapha said today that one of the places they liked to go when it was a bit colder was a big place made of wood on the outskirts of town, I'm thinking that he's maybe talking about Zelena's old place, me and Grumpy are gonna check it out in the morning"

"That's good. Any luck finding Rufio?"

"Not yet, the dwarves are on it though Emma, they'll find him."

"I hope so, Rapha needs his Brother. How's he doing?" She turned to sit in the edge of the desk so she could watched her Pirate sleep.

"He's doing better, Dr. Hopper says it might do him good to see Hook soon but we don't want to rush anything, he's got another appointment later today, your Mom's going to drop him off then bring Henry over. He's having terrible nightmares about that night, he still blames himself for Hook getting hurt and we're hoping the sessions will help" David sighed.

"Yeah, they both are" Emma had been woken a few times now by Hook thrashing about in his sleep and each time he awoke he wore the same terrified expression on his face and he would be scrabbling at his throat obviously dreaming about that damned rope still being around his neck. It always took her a while to calm him down enough to get him to go back to sleep, he was obviously scared that he'd wake again to the same dream so she sat with him often taking up one of the books, her soothing voice seemed to be enough to ease his fears.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

A short time later Snow and Henry came in carrying drinks. Snow came up to David's side and kissed him sweetly then they turned to watch their Grandson.

"Hey Mom" Henry greeted Emma "We brought you hot chocolate... with EXTRA cinnamon" he gave her a toothy smile as he turned to head over to Hook's bedside.

"Thanks Kid, you're a life saver." she said as he approached the Pirate "Henry, let him sleep, he needs his rest" Emma gave him a stern look

"I know Mom, I'll just get my book out" he started rummaging in his bag.

"No Kid, you'll do your homework first" she admonished

Henry threw her a dirty look and muttered "I hate homework, it's stupid" taking his work book from his bag and plonking down on the chair next to Hook's bed before pulling the wheeled table that sat over Hook's legs a bit closer so he could use it to lean on.

Snow and Emma chatted away while David just sat and listened. Henry had been working for a few minutes when David noticed that Hook was awake, he was simply watching the kid work on his homework a slight smile on his face. David really looked at the Pirate, he looked much better, although his beard was back, it needed trimmed and his hair was a mess but even still, he looked much healthier. The swelling in his face had almost completely gone and although his left eye was still very dark purple on the actual lid the rest of the area had bled out into varying shades of browns, yellows and greens that carried on down his face around his jaw and down on to his neck in one giant flowing bruise. More importantly though he could finally open his other eye. Henry carried on for a few minutes before looking up and realizing Hook was awake, a smile quickly appeared on his face.

"Hey Killian, great, you're awake" the boys happiness was infectious, the two women in the room stopped talking to watch the two interact.

Hook gave him a wide smile but within seconds he gave an uncomfortable look, he tried to bring his hand up across his chest but caught it on the bottom of the table, he froze in obvious pain from the jolt before letting his hand drop into his lap with a frustrated sigh.

"What's up? Are you in pain?"

Two blinks

"I bet your bored, right? Lying here all day must be driving you nuts"

The pirate gave a soft smile and one long blink.

"Well I can help with that, let me just get my book" Henry started to moved but to David's utter amazement Hook lifted his hand again but this time he placed it onto Henry's book before tapping his index finger on the page giving a clear indication that he wanted Henry to finish his work.

"Really?!" Henry burst out "I thought you had my back, turns out you're just as much of a slave driver as the rest of them" he groused slumping back into his seat.

"I can't do this anyway, it's too hard" his face was set in a determined look but Hook seemed to ignore his negative vibes, he smiled at Henry before managing to turn the book towards himself using his fingertips. He beckoned for Henry to come closer then picked up the pencil that was lying on the tabletop. He tried to write something on the page but the angle was awkward and the pencil kept slipping from his weak grasp eventually it fell from his hand completely and he thumped his cast down on the table in frustration.

"This is stupid!" Henry yelled before heading away from the bed.

"Henry!" Snow and David yelled in unison.

"HENRY DANIEL MILLS" Emma roared out at her Son's lack of compassion

"Wait Mom" Henry paused as he reached for his bag, giving Emma a hopeful look "I have an idea"

David watched as Henry rummaged through his bag before jumping back up to Hook's bedside seconds later, iPad in hand, one of the many electrical items that had come back with him from his year long stay in New York. They all watched in awe as the boy found the answer to Hook's inability to communicate right before their eyes.

"Hang on" Henry said to a very puzzled looking Hook.

The Pirates eyes went wide when Henry finally pushed the table slightly out of the way before placing a pillow on to Hooks lap before putting the iPad down where he could easily reach it.

"This should help, look. All you have to do is type out what you want to say using this keyboard" he walked himself around to Hook's left and managed to sit himself on the edge of the bed, Hook's left arm coming around the boys hips to ensure he wouldn't slide off.

"Here, I'll show you" Henry started typing out on the pad

The others approached the bed, curious to see what would happen. Henry had typed "What is wrong? You keep frowning? Does something hurt?"

Hook stared in wonder, a million questions on his face. He brought his fingers up to the screen giving it an experimental tap before slowly typing out his reply.

"Itchy"

"What? What's itchy?" Henry gave him a confused look.

"Everything, is it the healing magic of this world" he ever so slowly typed back

"Oh Hook, it's not magic" Snow cried out "You must be allergic to something, I'll go and grab Victor" she said then hurried from the room.

"You did great Kid" David said clapping the boy on the back

"Thank you Lad" Hook typed out

"You're welcome Killian, you can keep the iPad as long as you like, I don't really use it any way. We can put some music on it for you too if you like" Henry gave an enthusiastic nod of encouragement

"Aye" was the one word answer but the smile on Hook's face spoke a thousand more.

Henry hopped back off the bed and again tried to clear his homework away, David nearly burst out laughing when Hook for the second time put an end to his plans by putting his hand on the workbook stopping Henry from lifting it. Henry sighed and looked at Hook in frustration.

"I can't do it, it's too hard" Henry griped

Hook looked back into his lap, slowly moving his index finger over the pad, he was tiring fast, David could see him struggling to keep his head up. As he finished he let his head sink back into his pillows breathing heavily but a broad smile was on his face, he looked really happy for the first time since that night and David couldn't help but smile right along with him.

Henry looked at the screen and read out loud "Your calculations are quite correct you have simply carried the decimal point to the wrong place" he gave a thoughtful look before checking in his work again.

"You're right! Thanks Killian" Henry quickly adjusted his work proclaiming "Finished" and this time Hook didn't stop him clearing away his books.

Snow and Whale came back in a few minutes later.

"Mary-Margaret tells me that you are experiencing a severe itch across you skin" Whale spoke directly to Hook.

"Aye, I fear it may drive me mad before the week is out" he tapped out.

"I think we can prevent that" Whale said with a chuckle "That's a handy thing" he added, nodding towards the iPad as he injected something into Hook's IV line.

"Aye, my trusty First Mate helped me out" Hook gave Henry a wink.

"I've administered an antihistamine and I'll mark it on your chart for it to added to your regular drug routine, it should stop the itch quite quickly. It's not uncommon to have a reaction to some of the opiate based pain relief that you are currently on, hopefully we can switch those meds to something else in the next week or so, it will help with your concentration levels and your inability to stay awake for long but for the moment, like it or not the sleep is doing you good, we'll see how you get on before making any further decisions." he raised his eyebrow to emphasis his opinion.

"Thank you" Hook typed out

"Yeah, thanks Victor" Snow added as the Doctor made his way back to the door, turning back to give her a smile before he left.

"Thanks Victor" David mimicked his wife in a mocking tone.

Snow turned to him a look of playful anger on her face, she lifted her hand and slapped it across his arm.

"Would you stop? You need to get over it already. We were cursed..."

"Yeah well, doesn't mean I have to like it, does it?" David gave her a sad smile

"If I had known, you know I would have been with you" she added with a coy look.

"I know" he gave her a knowing smile before pulling her in for a kiss.

"PLEASE... you guys need to stop, I think I'm gonna be sick!" Henry called out, dramatically throwing his hands in the air.

They all laughed but when David looked at the bed expecting the pirate to have something to say he was asleep, the iPad still lying on his lap. Emma removed it and adjusted his blankets. Henry dug in his bag again coming out with the charger before taking the pad over to Emma's work station and plugging it in.

David stood thinking how such a small thing could make such a big difference. Emma had her Pirate back, he had seemed genuinely happy for the first time in days, that itch must have been driving him to near insanity. Hook was able to communicate now so it opened up a whole new list of things he could do, heck he wouldn't be surprised if Emma had him working on the case sooner rather than later. In fact the more he thought about it the better he liked the idea, that Pirate needed to be part of the team again as quickly as possible and this was just the way to do it.


	26. Chapter 26

**So Hook's on the mend. The investigation is going well. Everyone is happy and hopeful for the future... Time I mix things up a bit me thinks!**

 **Mwah hahahahahahahahaha**

 **Yeah, sorry Hook, I'm not finished with you yet!**

 **Maybe a wee bit of calm before the storm first though, I don't want him getting suspicious!**

 ***coughs* Uhm, I mean, here's another chapter... *smiles sweetly and waves***

Her Mom sat in her usual chair but she'd moved it next to the window so she could look out and watch the goings on of Storybrooke General's parking lot! This left Emma in peace to work on the case while Hook slept. He'd stirred a couple of times and Emma thought that he may have been having a bad dream but his face had even out again and he'd remained asleep, until now.

Emma gave him a sympathetic smile as he tried to stretch and gave a short winced of pain as she walked over from her desk. He gave her a lazy smile once he'd gotten comfortable again, mischief in his eyes, she could see a hint of the usual sparkle there but it was still dulled by the opiates that ran through his veins.

Emma took hold of his hand giving it a loving squeeze as she lent over and laid a kiss on his cheek but when she tried to stand back up she felt a tug stopping her from retreating fully, looking down quickly to make sure she wasn't caught up on anything important she realized that Hook had managed to twist his fingers into his chain that hung from her neck. She looked up at his amused face as his eyes flicked up to her ear, seeing his earring too and he broke out into a wide smile, raising one of those perfect eyebrows to finish off the look. After a beat he looked down into his lap then over to the bed side table clearly looking for the iPad, a confused look on his face.

"Hang on, it's over here on charge" Emma disengaged herself from her Pirate and returned seconds later with it in her her hand.

"I just need to switch it on, here, I'll show you how to do it so you can do it for yourself" he watched intently as she showed him the ropes.

Seconds later she was placing the iPad back on to the pillow that she'd grabbed off the chair next to the bed where it had been left when he had fallen asleep earlier. She watched as he started to type out what he wanted to say.

"I always knew you would make a great Pirate" he gave her his best smoldering look

"In your dreams buddy." she felt quite mischievous herself so she raised an eyebrow and quietly in a nonchalant tone that her Mom couldn't hear she added "I'm just minding these for a pretty awesome Pirate I know, he would totally kick your ass if he saw the way you're looking at me right now"

"You sure about that Love, even in this state I'm not sure you can resist my charms, I'm not sure this OTHER Pirate stands a chance" he actually gave a little silent giggle before pulling his arm slightly into his ribs but if it hurt he didn't let it show as his eyes sparkled a bit brighter.

"That a fact?" she looked him up and down in a deliberate appraising look before saying in a teasing whisper "What you gonna do? Fight him off with one finger?"

Without missing a beat he was back to typing, he was getting good at this.

"You'd be surprised what I can do with just one finger, Love!" His eyes were dancing with laughter now and his grin was infectious, she grinned just glad that her Mom didn't know what was going on.

"Alright Pirate, no walking before you can even crawl" She grabbed the iPad from his hand and quickly deleted the evidence before handing it back to him with a smile on her face.

"How's the itch?" she needed to change to direction of the conversation quickly.

He looked thoughtful for a second then typed "Gone".

"Good, you look a lot happier" she watched as he started typing again.

"Where's Henry?"

"He's not back yet, he left with my Dad to bring back Rapha, remember I told you earlier that he was coming?" she rubbed her knuckles on his bicep as he tried to remember.

"Sorry, my brain is still a bit muddled" he typed still wearing a slight look of confusion.

"Hey, it's OK, that's the medication they have you on, that's to be expected, it'll get better when they change your meds, promise" she gave him another sympathetic smile lifting her hand to rub her thumb over his cheek, he closed his eyes and lent into her hand. She was just beginning to think that he'd fallen back asleep when his eyes popped open and he grabbed the iPad again.

"When is this infernal contraption coming off my face?"

"Not sure, Whale said that they are going to take your sutures out tomorrow and I think they were going to do more x-rays, you know photos of your bones, to make sure everything is healing OK." She gave him a worried look "You know you still won't be able to speak even if you do get the wires off, right?"

"Aye Love but if it means I can eat for myself I'd be much happier" he gave the feeding bag that hung from the same pole as his IV bag a filthy look before returning his gaze to her.

"Don't get your hopes up, I'm pretty sure that's not gonna be happening anytime soon, even if you do get the wires off, which I'm not saying you will, Whale has said that you'll need to be REALLY careful not to damage your throat, food may be out for a while longer, sorry" her heart nearly broke at the look on his face.

"Oh Killian, it will be alright, I promise. It's just gonna take a while" she lent in once more and placed a kiss on his lips.

The minute she lent back he picked up the iPad, mischief on his face again. He balanced it against left wrist so that she couldn't see what he was typing but he was back to grinning like the Cheshire Cat. He turned it around, laughing even before she had read what he had written.

"I need it off sooner than later Love. If you are impressed by what I can do with one finger just wait until my tongue is unleashed"

Emma's jaw dropped and she flushed bright red, she could see him trying in vain to stop his giggles from hurting his ribs.

"Serves you right you bloody Pirate" she laughed as she cleared the screen once more.

"Everything alright over there? What are you two up to?" Mary-Margaret called, giving them a knowing look. Hook raised an eyebrow at her ,with the look he was giving her she knew exactly what he was thinking and an image of him dragging his tongue across his bottom lip at her popped into her head causing her to flush furiously again. Seriously, this Pirate had no shame!


	27. Chapter 27

**You guys really don't like leaving reviews do? Do I have to keep prodding you with sticks?! You know I can make him have a miraculous recovery, right? You know I will, just one little bit of Emma getting her shit together and he could be healed, then where would you be?! Hmmmmm?**

 **Nah, who am I kidding? I'm not done with this Pirate yet haha**

 **WOW... Now I know how the power of being the Author went to Isaac's head!**

 **On with the torture... Oooops, I mean story.**

"Look who I found" Snow's voice carried into the room as she opened the door, she had left to go and meet David in the parking lot moments before.

Emma stood up from her position on the edge of Killian's bed revealing Snow standing just inside the door with a small boy at her side. Killian took in the boy's face, he looked familiar, a snippet of memory flashed through his brain. He had been talking to the boy, it was dark and there had been a bright moon but that was all he had, the memory skittered away before he could make out any more of the details. Pushing it aside for the moment he made eye contact with the boy giving him a wide smile and a short wave with his cast arm.

"How you doing Kid?" Emma asked as she strode across and ruffled his hair.

"Fine" came the small voice as he raised his shy eyes to her face.

There was movement behind them and Snow pulled Rapha to the side to let David and Henry through the door, they held multiple drinks cups from Granny's in their hands. Killian watched as they were distributed around the group and was totally astounded when Henry turned to him with a cup in his hand and a huge grin.

"Grandpa asked Dr. Whale if it would be OK for you to have this and he said yes, it's a strawberry smoothie from Granny's and it's AWESOME" he gushed out.

Killian looked to David for confirmation.

"It's true, what can I say? I couldn't bear to see you mooning over my coffee anymore. Whale said as long as it wasn't too thick that you'd be fine" David answered his unasked question.

Killian was practically beaming from ear to ear at the thought of something other than water being allowed past his lips, he struggled on the bed, trying to sit himself up in anticipation of his drink but ended up hissing in pain as he moved too quickly.

"Hang on, Dad can you help me for a second please?"

Emma handed her drink to her Mother, then came up to his right and David came up to his left. They had helped the nurses enough times to know how this worked. They both lifted at the same time pulling Killian further up the bed before David supported most of his weight while Emma fixed his pillows at his back before slowly lowering him back down.

Emma took up the bed controls and raised the position slightly so that he was sitting more upright then brought the wheeled table up to his front. Henry placed the drink right in front of him and Killian's mouth instantly watered in anticipation. He managed to secure the drink between his fingers and his stump to stop it scooting away then lowered his mouth on to the straw taking in a deep draw of liquid, he swished it around in his mouth a few times, savoring the flavor before he swallowed thickly, feeling the cool liquid slosh all the way down into his stomach. He rolled his eyes closed in appreciation of the intense taste and the soothing coolness on his still very sore throat. He heard Emma chuckle and his eyes popped open to realize that everyone in the room was watching him, he gave a sheepish grin before taking in another mouthful.

Everybody chatted while he carried on enjoying his drink but in what seemed like no time at all he was struggling to maintain his position sitting up in the bed, his neck hurt as did his ribs and side. He took in another small mouthful then lent back trying to get comfortable but Emma had obviously noticed his discomfort and without even pausing in her conversation with her Mother she stood, pushed the table back, lowered his bed back down to it's previous position then sat back down on the edge of his bed and lifted his smoothie, holding it within reach so he could easily drink from it in his new position. She met his eyes for a second giving him a wink then turned back to her Mother.

He managed about half of the drink before he could take no more, sleep was tugging at him again but he tried to fight it, Rapha had come to see him and as yet they had not even conversed. Emma raised the drink once more in a questioning motion and he gave a slight shake of his head to indicate he had had enough.

"Awesome right?" Henry stood at his side

He gave Henry a slight nod as he looked for his communication device, Swan had moved it when she had adjusted his bedding earlier but obviously he was as much of an open book as she was because without hesitation it was on and in his lap ready to go. He typed out a message for Henry to read out.

"Hook wants to know how you are doing?" Henry turned to Rapha, beckoning him to come over.

He slowly came to stand next to Henry, his eyes were big and scared looking.

"There's no need to be frightened Lad" Henry read aloud

"I'm not scared of you" the boy said earnestly

"I wish we had met under different circumstances Lad, I don't remember much of what happened that night but they tell me that you tried to help me, that I would not be here now if it were not for you, so thank you, thank you for choosing the right path instead of the easy one"

Henry gave Rapha a small smile when he read the last part. Killian watched the boy, his bottom lip was quivering, he was obviously fighting a silent battle all of his own. Killian returned to his device, his typing was not at it's best as the pull of sleep made his movements sloppy but if Henry noticed he didn't say anything he just read out what Killian had intended to say.

"Rufio is a good man, once he knows that you are here in this realm, he will not hesitate to come for you, I am sure of it. There is no need to fret, everything will work out in the end, you will see." He beckoned the boy to approach the bed as Henry finished reading the last part, he needed to offer the boy some sort of comfort as he watched two big tears roll down his face. The words were tumbling from the boys mouth before Killian even realized that he was going to speak.

"I'm so sorry, this is all my fault, I trusted Peter and Devin, they told me that you killed my Brother and I believed them over my own memories. I should have left that day with you and Rufio, I could have left but I couldn't see what was right in front of me, I wanted fun and adventure and in staying behind I lost my Brother. Devin knew... Rufio was alive all this time...He knew all along and he lied... he lied to get me to help him hurt you... and you nearly died because of me... I'm so sorry" he barely managed to get the last part out through his wracking sobs.

Killian was at a bit of a loss as to what to do next when the boy took the decision out of his hands, he was totally unprepared when the boy clambered up on to the bed and threw himself across his front, clamping his arms around his neck. Killian's world faded for a split second at the intense pain that shot through his torso stealing his breath away. As the world came back into focus he could see both Emma and David rushing to try and remove Rapha from him but he knew that the boy needed this, he had been bottling this up since that night and Killian was not about to stop the boy from letting it go, pain be damned. Killian raised both his arms behind the boy giving a clear indication that he wanted Rapha left alone, he then brought his left arm to the boy's back rubbing his stump back and forth in a soothing motion as the boy wept.

Killian could feel the boys warm tears on his shoulder as he continued to sob "I never knew that they were going to do what they did, I promise" he whispered.

Killian tugged him in closer letting him know that he believed him and all went quiet as the boy lay there dealing with his guilt while everyone in the room waited patiently for him to gather himself back together.

Eventually it became apparent from his breathing that Rapha had fallen asleep, the emotional release proving too much for the young boy. Killian lifted his arms and indicated that someone could finally lift the boy from his chest, if he was being honest he didn't feel very well, he was beginning to feel a bit hot, very uncomfortable and he was beyond exhausted. The room had taken on a surreal feeling, like he wasn't quite connected to reality and he was finding it difficult to breath properly with the boy's weight on his chest. David stepped up, gently taking hold of the boy under his arms and lifting him from his front, Killian readied himself for more pain as the pressure of the boy slowly lifted but as David was hoisting him clear the boy moved in his sleep causing his foot to slip from his grasp, Killian watched as if it were playing out in slow motion before his very eyes as the foot fell towards his broken pelvis.

The moment it made contact his world disappeared, he was panting through gritted teeth as the pain pulsed it's way through to his core, he was totally at it's mercy and no matter how he moved it didn't help, it just radiated around and around, never ending. Suddenly the smoothie that had tasted so good minutes before was threatening to make a reappearance, the thought brought fear screaming straight to the forefront of Killian's mind. He couldn't vomit with the wiring on his face! He tried to breath deeper to ward of the nausea but nothing was working. He could hear a commotion in the room but even the ability to open his eyes was beyond him now. Then he felt it, like liquid heaven in his veins, he was floating and the pain was going, finally he was able to stop writhing on the bed and as the darkness approached once more he was only too willing to meet it with open arms, accepting it's merciful embrace with thanks.

 **Yip, I am EVIL. Remember reviews mean more trauma for the good Captain :)**


	28. Chapter 28

**OK, that was a better response, thank you lol. Keep up the good work, let me know if you are enjoying the story or not or just leave me a wee note, it's all good :D**

 **To all of you guys that keep asking me to update "Today" I will let you how I am working this, I am usually doing two updates in a day, one first thing in the morning and one last thing at night but as I live in Scotland this will obviously fall at different times for different people throughout the world. Yes, it does boggle my mind that one wee person in Qatar is reading my story * waves Hello ***

 **Anyway back to our Storybrookers, to be honest I'm starting to feel a wee bit sorry for Hook myself with all his pain and wot not but hey, what's a girl to do? The story is already written, who am I to change history? What's done is done and all that.**

 **On we go...**

Emma rubbed her fingers across the side of Hook's face, as he finally relaxed back onto the bed, God she felt sick. Just the thought of how much pain he must have been in had her heart racing in her chest. Whale and the nurses worked fast, they had been alerted to what was happening when Emma had slammed her hand on to the call button above Hook's bed, the rest of her family had been swiftly ushered from the room the minute team had rushed in.

Whale worked furiously, there was no time for modesty as he threw back Hook's bedding to reveal his body lying on the bed beneath. Jenny, the nurse who had first taught Emma how to give Hook a bed bath approached the head of the bed, gave her a small smile then quickly lowered the bed down so that Hook was lying flat on his back.

"What happened?" Whale bit out looking directly at Emma

"The boy, he climbed on the bed and threw himself on top of him, I thought everything was fine, he wanted him left but when David finally came to lift him he slipped... the boy's foot hit him in the hip. God, he was in so much pain. Is he going to be OK?"

"I need vitals NOW" he yelled at Jenny then turned back to Emma "I'm not sure Miss Swan, I don't like the look of this fresh bruising" he indicated at the dark bruise that had started to form over Hook's right hip.

There was silence for a few seconds, Whale moved to check on Hook's neck, giving a hum of disapproval as he took in more bruising below his jawline.

"He's tachycardiac and his pressure is dropping" Jenny gave Whale a worried look

"That's what I was afraid of, get him ready to go, we need to get him to surgery now." he barked back

"What the hell is going on?" Emma said when she managed to get his attention

"Unfortunately I think that due to the direct impact to his pelvis that there has been further damage, I fear that he may have internal bleeding. As I explained before Miss Swan, the pelvis carries a huge amount of blood, a patient can bleed out quickly so I am sorry but I don't have time to explain everything to you right now, we need to move him now" he at least had the grace to give her a sympathetic smile as Hook's blankets were pulled back over him. His IV bag was taken from it's pole and placed in his lap before the bed was swiftly wheeled from the room leaving her standing alone, in total shock at what had just happened.

She felt numb, how could this be happening again? Not knowing what else to do she plonked herself down into her usual seat next to the empty space where seconds before her Pirate had been, this was unreal, it couldn't be happening. She was vaguely aware of movement in the room but couldn't draw her eyes away from the slightly brighter set of tiles on the floor in front of her.

"Emma? What's going on?" at the sound of her Mom's voice Emma couldn't help it, it was like a fountain of emotion just erupted from within and she disintegrated into tears, unable to keep them at bay any longer.

Her Mom was hugging her in seconds as she stood by her side pulling her firmly into her front, swaying slightly back and forth in a soothing motion. She shushed her gently, bringing her hand to her hair and just holding her tight, it was what she needed, a Mother's loving embrace, it was something she had once thought so foreign but now just seemed so natural and right, Mother and Daughter together as one. It took a while for Emma to calm down but eventually she just ran out of tears.

"They've taken him for surgery" Emma's voice sounded muffled against her Mom's sweater but she must have heard her.

"He'll be fine honey, he'll be fine" she felt her Mom give her one last squeeze before she was released form her embrace.

Her Mom sat next to her and handed her a Kleenex, they just sat side by side for the longest time as the silence continued to ring out in the room for what seemed like an eternity. In the end it seemed that Mary-Margaret couldn't bear it any longer so she coughed gently then spoke.

"Your Dad took the boys home Emma, Rapha was still sleeping but Henry saw everything. I need to go and let David know what's going on, they're going to be going crazy with worry."

Emma just nodded but as her Mom was about to leave the room she had a sudden thought.

"Mom" Mary-Margaret paused and looked at her "Tell Dad not to tell Rapha what happened, the Kid has been through enough without adding this to his worries. Henry can know, he'll understand that it was an accident but I think this might just destroy all the good that Killian managed to do tonight with Rapha if he found out."

"Sure" was all her Mom said but she gave an understanding smile before walking out the door leaving Emma alone in the silence once more.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

FIVE FREAKING HOURS! Emma was going out of her mind, she had been sitting there for five hours and had not heard a single thing. Her Mom had dozed off about an hour ago, she didn't look comfortable but Emma couldn't bring herself to wake her knowing that if she did her Mom would think that there had been some news. She was having a hard enough time as it was with her Dad, he had texted her several times looking for updates, she knew he meant well but she was finding this all a bit too much. He had reassured her that Rapha knew nothing of what happened, he had put the boy to bed a couple of hours ago. He'd filled in Henry and the two were now sitting waiting up on news. She looked at the clock on the wall, just able to see it in the dim light, God, it was nearly 11pm, what could possibly be taking so long? She huffed out a sigh.

An hour later and there was a noise at the door and suddenly Hook's bed was being wheeled back in, she was up in seconds waiting on him being placed back into his spot then racing to his side. Someone flicked on the main light in the room and she squinted against the brightness as she tried to see her Pirate. She gasped at the sight before her, first off they had shaved off his beard again, he was going to be so pissed but aside from that he just looked plain awful, his hair stuck up at odd angles but worst of all was his skin, he just looked ill, all pale and clammy. A large bruise bloomed on his neck and jaw, obviously Rapha had done some damage there too. She couldn't take it all in so she looked to Whale for answers. He stood by the bedside looking almost as disheveled as the man inside it he met her gaze and gave a quick smile as Mary-Margaret joined her, eyes wide in shock at the sight before her.

"OK, first things first. I'm sorry that we were away so long but there were a few complications shall we say. It took us quite a while to stabilize his condition, his blood pressure dropped quickly and at one point we had to administer CPR"

"WHAT?" Emma yelled out, her gaze immediately going to the man in the bed. He had died? What the hell?

"He had, as I suspected, lost a lot of blood. He has had to have another blood transfusion," he paused and pointed to a bag of blood that hung from the pole along with Hook's usual IV. "I have repaired the damaged artery and hopefully he should have no further issues from it. We took x-rays and it was decided that while we were operating we would fit a small metal plate onto his pelvis to add some extra stability as the healing seemed to be much slower than we would have expected to see by this point. This in itself may actually lead to a quicker rehabilitation once his sutures have been removed as it means that the bone is stronger, I have a feeling that the pirate will not somehow all of a sudden chose an easy life once he leaves here so having the plate means there is less likely to be issues arising in the future."

Whale turned and adjusted one of the machines at Hook's bedside before turning back to them.

"There was also fresh bruising on his neck and face, again we have carried out x-rays and although I couldn't see any obvious damage I have elected to have him clean shaven for the time being so that the bruising can be monitored over the next few days. While he was out we also removed the sutures that were scheduled to be removed tomorrow and as you can see we have replaced his bulky cast with a much smaller lighter one, this one is made of fibreglass and should give him a much better range of movement in his whole arm and his good fingers. He will probably not wake tonight so I suggest that you get some sleep, both of you. He'll probably be quite out of it again for the next few days due to the medication I have him on so I would limit his visitors for the time being." he gave a tight smile then excused himself leaving them alone with the Pirate once more.

Emma couldn't take her eyes off of Hook, he looked so ill just lying there on his bed. He was back on the heart monitor and the steady beeps sounding loudly through the room comforted her more than she was willing to admit. He had died, his heart had actually stopped beating in his chest, the thought of it made he shiver and her own heart gave a painful clench in sympathy. She felt her Mom take hold of her hand and she looked up into that little round face that she had grown to love so much.

"I'm OK Mom, honest. I'm just tired. You should go home, you heard what Whale said"

"You're right, I did hear what Victor said but I also know my Daughter and I am not leaving you alone tonight, you would never get any sleep so come on, go and have a shower, I'm going to call your Dad then see if I can rangle up some sandwiches for us then young lady we are BOTH going to try and get some sleep on that bed." she gave Emma a pointed look

"Mom, you know that bed's barely big enough for one right?" she gave a small chuckle

"Yeah well, I don't mind snuggling with my number one daughter" she gave a wide smile.

Emma gave another laugh as she walked off towards the bathroom, her Mom really was something else.

"That would mean more if I wasn't your only daughter!" their eyes met for a second before she added. "Thanks Mom"

 **Will Hook ever catch a break? Will David find those remaining Lost Ones at Zelena's old place in the morning? (you'd forgotten about that, hadn't you?) Will Snow and Emma make it through the night without one of them ending up on the floor?! Tune in later today (OK, maybe tomorrow where you are) to find out. Have a great day :)**


	29. Chapter 29

**Remember that reviews make me happy, so please feel free to leave one. If not I still have my stick handy and I'm not afraid to use it!**

 **Time for a bit of non hospital action me thinks...well, maybe you'll get a snippet at the end of the chapter if you're lucky.**

 **Lead the way then Charming, off you go.**

David and Leroy made their way across the field beside Zelena's old farm house early the next morning, David had wanted to start out earlier but after the events of the previous night he had had to wait on Snow returning from the hospital before setting off. She had returned just after eight bringing no real new news on Hook other than he'd developed a fever overnight, Whale had apparently insisted that it wasn't unusual and was probably a reaction to the blood transfusion which he had promptly stopped, leaving Hook on just the IV line. David just hoped that it didn't get any worse, he wasn't sure how much more that Emma could deal with.

Leroy was in a foul mood, he didn't deal with early mornings well, David watched as he pulled his hat lower onto his head and hugged his jacket closer against the biting cold morning, it was late November and the wind whistled with an icy chill right through to their bones. Thanksgiving was less than a week away and David just hoped that they'd have something to be thankful for. Shoving all thoughts of the previous night's events from his head he looked at the building as it came into sight, there was a soft glow emanating from one of the lower windows and smoke was billowing it's way across the sky from the chimney.

David felt his pulse quicken, there was someone in the house. He stopped dead in his tracks throwing his arm out against Leroy's front eliciting a grunt from the dwarf.

"Hey" he groused

"Look" was all David needed to say as he pointed to the smoke, comprehension dawned on the dwarf's face before he turned back to David.

"I'll head 'round back, make sure that they aint gonna make a run for it" he immediately took off at a jog, heading through the long grass at the side of the house leaving David to approach from the front. As David made his way up to the front porch he noticed that the wooden barn doors were slightly ajar and he made a mental note to check it out later as he carried on up towards the front door.

He peeked through the window to the right of the door, he could see the fire blazing in the fire place but nothing else, the back of the couch blocking his view into the room. He cautiously tried the door, finding it unlocked he quietly pushed it open and stepped inside, there was no one else in the room or the one next to it. He was just about to head up the stairs when he heard a loud thud and the struggling sounds of a fight coming from the kitchen then all of a sudden a woman yelled.

What? A woman, who the hell was here? This place hadn't been rented out, he had checked. He raced into the room to find a scene of utter confusion. Leroy had someone pinned to the floor, their arm twisted up around their back and Ruby was hitting Leroy around the head with her fists.

"Let him go Leroy, what are you doing?" Ruby screamed.

David watched as Leroy pulled the man to his feet and spun him around, his sweatshirt had been pulled up over his head in the struggle and it was only when Leroy finally let him go that he managed to yank it down. There in Zelena's kitchen was Dr. Whale with Ruby!

"What the hell?" Whale glared at Leroy

David coughed and Whale's attention flew to him instead.

"Care to explain what your doing here?" David crossed his arms as he asked the question, he knew exactly what Ruby and Whale had been doing, the cozy fire, the blankets on the couch and the breakfast dishes lying on the counter were a dead give away but he wanted to make Whale squirm.

Ruby made a move like she was checking her nails and Whale straightened his sweatshirt nervously.

"I could ask you the same question" he grit out.

"Don't get smart, Brother" Leroy took a threatening pace forward.

David raised his hand to stop Leroy's movement giving him a slight nod to acknowledge that he had things under control.

"Well, I'm the Sheriff, he's my Deputy" he flicked his thumb at Leroy "and you are trespassing. Why aren't you at the hospital anyway?"

"I don't live there you know, I just got off shift. Me and Ruby, well we... we sometimes come out here when we need a bit of peace and quiet, no one was living here, we weren't doing any harm" he had the audacity to sound pissed off.

"You... and Ruby" David gave him a look of disbelief.

"Hey, I'm standing right here you know. We're both adults and what we get up to in our own time has nothing to do with you." Ruby bit back

"Unless you're trespassing... so, yeah, it kinda does" he gave her an apologetic look.

Ruby huffed out a breath "OK, OK, we're leaving, just don't tell Granny about this, I do not need her lecturing me for, like, ever"

Whale pushed passed Leroy and came up to David's face "You're enjoying this aren't you?"

David just gave him a smile "I don't know what you mean" he said innocently.

Whale scoffed at him rolling his eyes before turning to Ruby, he extended his hand out to her, she took it and they both barged past David, Ruby mouthed "sorry" as she was dragged by.

David and Leroy looked at each other then burst out laughing, Oh, David was going to have fun with this for a long time.

They worked their way through the house room by room but found no sign that the Lost Ones had spent anytime there. David made sure that the fire in the fireplace was out before they locked up the house. David remembered the barn and headed over to the slightly open doors, it was dark inside and smelt strongly of cattle feed but he threw the doors wide letting the light in. Although the barn was large there was nowhere really for anything to be hidden and it was clear that the boys had not been here. David was beyond disappointed, when he had left the loft that morning he was so sure that he knew where the boys had been hiding, now he had to break more bad news to Emma. With a heavy heart he headed back to the cruiser with a very grumpy Leroy in tow.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME.

Emma sat at Hook's bedside, she was by herself for the first time in nearly two weeks, her Mom had had to leave so early that Emma hadn't even had the chance to get dressed before she left. Belle was coming by soon so that she wouldn't be left alone for too long but in all honesty she didn't feel like company, not today. She couldn't motivate herself to do anything other than watch Hook's chest as it moved up and down, it gave her comfort to simply watch him breathing. Knowing that he had stopped doing that simple task the night before could bring her to tears in seconds if she let the thought linger too long.

Whale had been right, Hook hadn't woken yet and it was nearly lunch time. His fever had spiked in the early hours of the morning and he had developed the chills not long after her Mom had left. She had sat by his side soothing him through the worst of it and now, well now she just watched him breath.

Movement on the bed a short time later had her on her feet in seconds and by his side as quickly as she could possibly get there . She could see him trying to get his eyelids to cooperate with his mind but was struggling to make it happen.

"Hey, it's OK, you're OK" she soothed, fingers finding his too smooth face once more.

He turned his face into her hand and finally managed to unstick his eyelids revealing his baby blues beneath but to her disappointment it was all too brief, his eyes didn't even manage to focus on her face before they were closing again. She could still feel the heat radiating from his skin as he slipped back into unconsciousness, she let out a frustrated growl as she threw herself back into that damned hard plastic chair.

God she hoped that Belle wasn't her usual overly hopeful self otherwise Emma may go insane, she was in no mood for happy or bubbly. She was fed up with this whole situation, she just wanted her Pirate to be alright, was that too much to ask? She slumped back in the chair raising her eyes to the ceiling tiles above, woe betide the first person that tried to cheer her up today, she refused to be held responsible for the outcome!


	30. Chapter 30

**So the Lost Ones are still on the loose, will they ever be caught? For those of you worrying that Hook will suddenly get better don't, there may be some small time jumps to get to significant stages of his recovery quicker but there is still plenty to come, I promise.**

 **The more pertinent question at this time should be, Will Belle survive her visit to the hospital without being pecked to death by an angry Swan?!**

 **Well let's find out shall we.**

Emma was beyond pissed now, her Dad had just called to say that Zelena's old place was a bust. She sat silently fuming, her cell phone took the brunt of her anger as she squeezed the hell out of it in her hand, she was so tempted to smash it against the nearest wall but she knew that she needed it, it was her life line to the outside world. She just wanted to punch something, this was normally the time when Hook calmed her down and told her she was being unreasonable. She thought about how many times he had made her see reason in times of crisis, he was her own personal Jimney Cricket and she needed him right now. She deflated back into her seat as the thought of his voice seeped into her thoughts.

"You're being too impatient Swan, we will catch them just you wait and see. You don't think that you and I could be bested by those hellions do you? We just need to think smarter than them is all and we all know that you can find anyone that you damn well please so pick yourself up, dust yourself off and find them"

A picture of his smiling face was imprinted in her brain as she opened her eyes, he was right, she was doing no good sitting here wallowing. She got up and moved over to her desk and stared intently at the map on the wall. A sudden thought popped into her head, Rapha might not be able to show them where to go on a map but maybe just maybe if they took him out into the woods he'd be able to find his way on foot. She'd have to make sure that there were a few people in the group, she wouldn't have Rapha put in danger for any reason.

She grabbed some paper and frantically started making a plan of how this was going to work when she heard the door push open. Belle popped her head inside giving her a warm smile as she entered.

"I heard that they didn't find the Lost Ones this morning" she said as she made her way to Emma's desk.

"Nope but we'll get them" Emma said in a positive tone, it seemed her Pirate could improve her mood without even trying.

Belle turned into the room, she stood clutching her purse to the front of her legs in both her hands, eyes taking in the man in the bed.

"How's he doing?" she nodded her head at Hook as she asked the question.

Emma sighed out a breath "In all honesty Belle, I don't really know. He's pretty much been out of it since he was brought back from surgery, Whale had to stop his blood transfusion because he's taken a reaction to it but assures me that the IV line is enough right now. He's had a pretty high temperature most of the night although it seems to be coming down now. I just want him awake, he was doing so well, before this set back. I was beginning to have hope that everything would be fine, I could see the future, you know? Now... now it seems like we're back to square one again."

She shook herself out of her musings and stood upright, turning back to the desk by her side.

"I'm trying not to think about it too much, I need to concentrate on things I can change and finding those Lost Ones is my number one priority" she said with determination.

"Maybe I can help?" Belle gave her best hopeful look

"Sure, you're practically an expert at tracking and stuff, you'd be a great help, thanks Belle. You're a good friend to him" Emma gave her Pirate another long look as she spoke.

"I'm doing this for you too Emma but I have to admit I do miss him. You know I've become quite fond of the time we get to spend in the library, he is always so keen to get stuck into the research when a new problem arises." she gave a rueful smile "Who would have thought that this is the same man who tried to kill me on more than one occasion?" she gave a slight chuckle before turning back to Emma, sincerity clear on her face "He is a good man, he was just a little lost on his path, one that Rumple made so much harder for him but you Emma, you have helped him find his way"

Leave it to Belle to sum the important things up in a nutshell, Emma gave her a night nod as her emotions tried to break free again. She sucked in a deep breath sliding both her hands into the back pockets of her jeans, unsure what else to do with them in that moment.

"Shall we?" she finally got out then nodded at the desk in front of them, Belle gave an emphatic nod in reply as she placed her purse on the floor by the nearest chair and sat down.

They sat side by side making plans for the better part of the afternoon, they managed to get a few people to agree to help in their search too. Belle had suggested asking Regina for help but she was still a bit pissy with Emma over the whole Marian/Robin thing and the thought of asking her to help find the ones that had hurt Hook when she and Hook, well mostly her if she was being honest, were the reason why Regina had lost Robin in the first place just didn't seem right. She just didn't want to rub Regina's nose in the fact that she was fighting tooth and nail for her love and Regina had lost hers. Their friendship was important to Emma and she would make up with Regina soon, she had promised herself as much but right now Hook needed her more and ultimately if Regina didn't get that, well at this precise moment, she just couldn't bring herself to care.

In the end it was decided that Belle herself, Ruby, Henry, David and Leroy would head out into the woods with Rapha starting the very next day. The boy was keen to help, her Mom had said that he seemed to be much more positive after last night which was a good thing, Emma was glad she had made the decision not to tell him about Hook. Now at least they had a reason for him not to come back and visit for the moment, he was now part of "Operation Nevenger" and he had a job to do.

By the time her Dad came through the door a couple of hours later carrying food they had come up with a good strategy and Belle had even had a few good ideas about the search for Rufio. Emma felt much happier as David placed her dinner on the desk in front of her before walking over to Hook's bedside. Hook had slept all afternoon and as Emma watched her Father approach the bed she could see the concerned look on his face.

"It's not your fault you know Dad" she said in a low voice, she could practically feel the guilt radiating off of him.

"Yeah well, it doesn't feel like that to me" he was leaning heavily on the rail attached to the side of Hook's bed staring at the Pirate, a pure look of dismay on his face.

Emma got up and made her way towards her Dad as Belle excused herself from the room obviously wanting to give them some time alone.

"He wouldn't want this Dad, he wouldn't blame you and you know it. You were the one that told me time and time again that he wouldn't want me to feel bad about the night he was attacked and you were right, now I'm the one telling you the same." She rubbed her hand up his back as he turned his head to meet her gaze, when she saw his watery eyes she couldn't help but pull him into a hug.

"I thought I'd catch them today Emma, I was so sure but I failed" he spoke into the neck as he hugged her tight.

"I doesn't matter, we have a good plan and it WILL work. We are gonna find them Dad and Hook's gonna be just fine" she pulled back and gave him an encouraging smile before taking his hand and pulling him back across the room to see their plans for the following day, this Nevenger needed some distracting and it was her job to do it.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

Emma woke early the next morning and made her way over to Hook's side before she'd even managed to knock the kinks from her back, that bed was going to be the end of her but at least it was better than the chair. She dropped her hand onto his forehead and was much happier to find that his temperature seemed to be back to normal. Just as she was adjusting his blankets Whale came into the room on his morning rounds. He gave her a searching look before he suddenly seemed to get embarrassed and hurried around to the other side of the bed to start his check up.

OK, what was that all about? She eyed him suspiciously but he evaded eye contact as he worked, what the hell?

"Is something wrong?" she asked tentatively

"I don't know Miss Swan, is there?" he gave her a questioning look

"OK this is just weird, what's going on?" she was getting annoyed now

He shifted uncomfortably on his feet "Have you spoken to your Father lately?"

"What? Of course I have. What does that have to do with anything?" she burst out

Whale looked her up and down for a second as if trying to read her thoughts before a slight nervous smile appeared on his face.

"Nothing" his voice suddenly seemed falsely chirpier "Well, the good Captain here seems to be doing much better this morning, he should be back to his normal charming self in no time" he seemed almost too anxious to be finished as he noted somethings on Hook's chart then practically fled from the room leaving Emma standing slightly open mouthed. That man was strange, she didn't care what anyone else said, he was weird! She shook her head in disbelief at the Doctor's actions before returning her attention back to the Pirate in front of her, a soft smile breaking out on her face.

"That was weird, right? I didn't just imagine that?" she asked the unconscious man in front of her as she brushed his hair from his forehead. She couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped her lips, she was so asking her Dad about this as soon as she saw him, she was sure he would have answers to what had just happened and she was curious to find out just what had gone on to make Whale act the way he had.

 **I want to be a Nevenger too, anyone else with me? No, just me then lol**

 **More CS fluffiness in the next chapter I promise.**

 **If you leave lots of reviews you may even get three updates today, I'm not feeling very well and I'm having a day in bed so I could potentially type up three if you guys put in some work too, come on , it's Sunday, what else have you got to do that's so important?!**

 **No reviews and I'll make wait longer * insert maniacal laugh here ***


	31. Chapter 31

**What do you want?**

 **Captain Swan**

 **When do you want it?**

 **Now**

 **Well who am I to stand in your way, Captain Swan you shall have?**

Emma had honestly expected Hook to be pretty much out of it for the next few days much like the first time he had come back to her but to her utter delight as she walked back into the room after showering he was awake on the bed, the moment their eyes met his face split into a huge grin, his eyes twinkling in the early morning sun. Emma's heart nearly burst at the joy that surged through her.

"Hey beautiful" she deliberately used his own line on him

He furrowed his brow when he started looking for his iPad then gasp in pain as he tried to move on the bed. Emma hurried to side side, cradling his face in her hand as he breathed through the pain. Eventually he opened his eyes and looked up at her, pain still etched on his face.

"You need to take it easy" she soothed

He motioned for her to get his iPad, once she brought it to his side she found that due to his more reclined position in the bed she had to hold it for him so he could type. The angle was awkward making it more difficult but he managed quite well.

"I was going to say that that was my line but now I'm going to ask what the hell happened? When did this happen?" he wiggled his new cast in front of her emphasizing his question "And why do I feel like I've been trampled by a heard of Neverbeasts?"

Emma gave a chuckle at his dramatics but was also concerned that he didn't remember the events that had lead to his surgery.

"You don't remember?" She asked

He shook his head, instantly freezing in pain again.

"Stop jiggling your head about, you idiot" Emma grit out through her own clenched teeth that she'd done in sympathy for her Pirate. It took him a minute to gather himself back together but then he typed out.

"I didn't Jiggle, Pirates do not jiggle" he gave her a mischievous smirk before adding "What happened?"

"Remember, Rapha came to visit a couple of nights ago?"

"That was two nights ago! What have I missed" he frantically typed

"Well if you'd calm your digits for two seconds I'll tell you" she said with just the right amount of attitude to have him rolling his eyes and motioning for her to continue

"Well Rapha climbed on you?" she gave him a questioning look and he gave a slight nod indicating he remembered

"When my Dad was lifting him off of you Rapha's foot slipped and hit you on your hip, it caused more bleeding and Whale had to operate. You'll be glad to know you now have another piece of metal attached to your person to be proud of"

"Truly" he typed with a grin

"Thought you'd appreciate that" she said with a giggle but then put on her serious face "I nearly lost you"

His face morphed into one of concern at her change in mood, he waited for her to carry on.

"Your heart stopped, they had to start it again, God Killian, I'm not sure how much more of this I can take, you were in surgery for hours and I just felt so alone without you here" he reached forward cupping her face into his hand for a change, rubbing his thumb along her cheek just staring into her eyes, his own eyes full of sorrow.

"It's OK, I'm fine, you're fine even if you do look about twelve without your beard" she added with a laugh

His eyebrows shot straight up as his hand felt his own face, he was back at the iPad in seconds.

"They took my damned beard?! How is a man to portray sexy pirate in this place? First off they removed my hook, my leather, my rings and other such things oh and my bloody kohl now they've taken my beard too!" he gave an indignant look but Emma could also see the playfulness in his eyes, he was trying to cheer her up and she loved him for it.

"Well I could help with two of those things right now if you want" she said hopping off the bed, Hook watched her as she came round the bed and opened the small cabinet at the side of his bed and took out his hook and brace.

"You want this back on?" she asked raising it up so he could see

He nodded his head again without thinking and winced, sucking in air through his teeth. Emma didn't say anything but raised her eyebrows shaking her head in disbelief. He didn't comment, instead he just raised his left arm up in anticipation of having his beloved hook back on. Emma worked quickly but carefully, she was aware that he had only just had his sutures removed and the healing scar that sat just above his brace would likely still be painful to touch. Finally she managed to tighten it in to place.

"There, good as new" she glanced up at his face as he beamed back at her. "Now if you're lucky I might just have some eyeliner in my things"

She made her way across to her bed, fishing her bag out from under it, she rummaged through her things for a minute before turning around triumphantly, eyeliner in hand.

"You sure you want me to do this? I've never put it on anyone else before, you sure you trust me?"

She held the iPad as he typed out a reply.

"Aye Love, I trust you more than any other." and he gave her his most sincere look as she read it out.

"OK, don't blame me if you need an eye patch too once I'm done"

He beamed a smile at her

"Yeah, you probably would like that wouldn't you, you bloody Pirate" she added with a laugh.

She did his good eye first then moved around the bed to do his right one, although most of the swelling had gone he was still quite bruised across his eyelid and she paused.

"Are you sure, I don't want to hurt you" she gave him a nervous look.

"I'm sure, it doesn't hurt that much anymore and you cannot leave me like this with only one eye done, I would be a laughing stock Love" he typed then winked at her and her nerves melted away.

She finished off his bad eye then stood back taking in the sight before her. She had never really thought about Hook wearing his kohl until they had removed it when he had first come in, it was always just part of who he was and as such she had never really realized how much she liked it until it was gone. When he wore it, his already impossibly blue eyes stood out like two round sapphires and she couldn't help but stare as he looked almost like his old self. He couldn't stop smiling at her as she appraised him.

He took up the iPad again and she held it once more "See something you like?" he gave her his best sexy pirate look.

"Definitely" she replied, before taking the iPad from his hand, his eyes followed it as she turned it towards herself, his face puzzled.

"You want a photo?" she asked lifting the iPad up slightly.

He looked completely baffled but slowly nodded anyway, he obviously hadn't got a clue what she was doing.

"Give me your best smile then" she grinned herself as he did just that also raising his hook up slightly so it could be seen, he looked good considering the circumstances.

She came back to his side and turned the iPad back towards him, his eyes went wide in wonder before his face fell into a frown.

"What? What's wrong?" she quickly switched the iPad back to his typing app ad waited while he wrote.

"My hair looks like a bird has been using it to raise a brood of young" he threw a dirty look.

"OMG Killian, I thought something was wrong. Of all the things I thought you were about to say that was not one of them" she gave him an apologetic look. "I'll see what the nurses say later about washing it"

He gave her a slight nod, she could see he was tiring now, she had to remember that he'd only just had more surgery, even if he did seem a lot better.

"You want to send the photo to Henry? I know he's dying to hear from you. You'd make his day if he heard from you this morning. Him and Rapha are heading out to the woods later with my Dad and a few others to see if they can find some of the Lost Ones hideouts."

He didn't type anything, he just shoved the iPad in Emma's hands and watched her carefully as she attached the photo to a blank message before handing it back to him.

"Write a message to him then" she gave him a look of encouragement, he looked thoughtful for a moment before starting to type.

When he finished she read the message "Henry, I hope that I find you well. I am feeling much better this morning and wish you luck with your endeavour to find the Lost Ones' hideout, I only wish that I was well enough to join you. Please feel free to visit later if you can and by all means bring another of your smoo thee drinks that tasted so good, perhaps in a different flavour if you will. Kindest Regards Killian"

Emma loved how it sounded just like him in her head as she read it, she could practically hear him as over pronounced his "Ts" at the end of his words, it always seemed to make her a bit giddy, she had secretly always loved his accent a bit too much.

"Now, if you are lucky you will get a reply in a minute" she took in his face and could see that he was fighting sleep, he looked wrecked.

"Why don't you get some sleep? You look really tired" she said with concern

He might have tried to deny it but even with his jaws wired together he couldn't hide the yawn that had his face screwing up and reluctantly he gave a small nod. Emma was just fixing his blankets again when the reply from Henry came through. She showed Hook how to open the new message and a photo appeared on the screen of Henry, Rapha and her Parents at the loft, the message read.

"Glad you are feeling better, we will all come and visit you later and I promise I will bring you a smoothie, I'll leave the flavor as a surprise. Oh and Grandpa says it's good to have Captain Guyliner back"

Hook was grinning from ear to ear now, she had to wrangle the iPad from his hand with assurances that the message would still be there later, he needed to take a nap, she could see his weariness in his movements now, he always got more uncoordinated when he was tired and he had just smacked himself if the face with his cast, good grief, he was worse than a child sometimes. She tucked him in, gave him a lingering kiss on the lips then in her sternest tone told him to go to sleep, he gave her a smirk before closing his eyes. He was gone in minutes, breathing deep and calming once more.


	32. Chapter 32

**I'm so sorry that there will only be one update today although I will try and make it a bit longer, this will probably be the norm from now on, life is forever getting in the way of my creativity haha.**

 **Today I visited Kirriemuir, it's a wee village about 15 miles from where I stay and it is the Birthplace of J. M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan. I have been many times in my life but today I did have a think to myself as I stood looking at the bronze statue of Pan himself in the village square. I found myself thinking "You really were a bloody demon" lol. J.M. Barrie may hate me but I think I much prefer the world where Peter Pan was a "bloody demon" and Captain Hook was the hero... What say you?**

 **Anyway, we digress... As we head into the woods in search of the missing Lost Ones I feel that we need a call to action.**

" **NEVENGERS AMASS"**

 **Let's twist this ;D**

Killian flew back into consciousness, lurching forward on the bed, he couldn't get the remnants of his dream to leave his mind, he clawed at his neck trying in vain to get enough air into his lungs, he had his eyes shut tight fighting the voices that still sounded in his head.

"Captain needs taught a lesson boys"

"You are pathetic"

"Jensen, go grab the rope"

The voice swan round and round, images flashed through his mind, a boy, a blade, the moon high in the sky and a tree. He was starting to list to the side, he simply didn't have enough strength to hold himself up, the pain in his hip was ablaze, stealing his breath as it sent jolts of pain through his entire being.

Then she was there, his Swan. Soothing him, holding him tight until he got himself under control once more. He was still breathing deeply as she helped him lie back down and he was shaking slightly, he hated the dreams, if he were being honest they were the worst thing about this whole mess. The hurt he could deal with, had done for centuries but the dreams were new, not even after Milah had left him had he had anything like this happen and he just didn't know how to make it stop.

He lay with his eyes closed for another few breaths then opened them to see Emma perched on his bed, face full of concern. He tried his best to give her a reassuring smile but the shaking in his hand gave away his true feelings.

"Hey, it's OK. It was just a dream" she soothed, "give it a minute and it will pass."

He pulled in another few deep breaths as she carried on holding his hand in hers. Eventually he found that the shakes dissipated and his heartbeat returned to normal. He was tired but was not even considering trying to go back to sleep right now, the dream was still altogether too fresh in his mind, the voices still not quite gone.

"You OK?" she asked tentatively

He gave a slow nod then looked around the room, his eyes falling on the clock on the wall, 10 o'clock, Henry and the others would be heading off on their search. He looked at Emma's work station and could clearly see that she had been working on something before he had awoken. He twisted his head slightly looking for his pad , Emma quickly picked it up from the side table and gave it to him.

He tried to hold it but he was still lying at the wrong angle, he'd had enough of this ridiculous way they had him lying, he was not an invalid, he could at least sit up a bit further to allow himself to be able to hold his pad for himself.

He tried to get the bed controls but couldn't reach, he was getting frustrated now but Emma saw what he was after and quickly grabbed them, she raised the bed a bit higher but not where he wanted it. He motioned for her to take it higher.

"Hook, I'm not sure that's a good idea" she gave him a concerned look

He just motioned for her to raise it again, he wanted to feel normal just for a short while.

"OK but if you pop a stitch do not complain to me" she said in a resigned voice before raising the bed further up.

The angle was a lot better, he was able to hold the pad in his lap again after Swan placed his pillow down for him.

"Any news from David?" he typed

"So you just going to ignore what just happened? Tell me, what's going on in that head of yours?" she raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms at him, she meant business.

He closed his eyes as the memories threatened to spill back into his mind. He took another deep breath before quickly typing.

"I will Love, I promise. Just not right now. I need to do something to occupy my mind, the voices from my dream are still in my head, I just cannot seem to shake them and I fear if I tell you about it right now they will take me in their grip once more and I cannot bear it" he gave her a longing look.

Her face melted into one of pure sympathy then she seemed to have an idea and a grin pooped on to her face. What was she up too? She took the pad from his hand and lifted it to face her, much like she had done when she had taken his photo picture before, he was confused, why would she think that he would want that now? He was even more confused when she returned the pad to his lap, the pad was emanating a noise and there was a message on the screen that read.

"Face Time – Henry"

He was utterly bewildered when Henry's face appeared on the screen seconds later.

"Hey Killian. How you doing?" Henry's voice carried through the device

Killian turned to Emma eyes wide in surprise.

"He's good Kid, he wants to be a part of the Nevengers too, think you can use another member in your search team? " Emma spoke quite loudly.

"Sure thing Mom. Awesome, I can show you where we're looking and stuff, this is going to be so cool" the boy gave him a huge grin "Hey Grandpa, look who's joining the search party"

The picture disappeared for a second giving the impression of moving at speed and when it stopped David's face was before him, Killian's forehead was starting to hurt from holding his eyebrows high as he tried to comprehend yet another wonder of this world.

"Hook, glad to see you looking a bit more normal, well as normal as you could ever look with that face" David said with a grin

Killian found himself smiling back at the Prince.

"Hope you can keep up with all this Pirate, no sleeping on the job now" David added with a chortle.

Killian just squinted his eyes at him, he had lost his ability for witty comebacks when his pad had been turned into... whatever it had become.

"Dad, I'm gonna call you on your cell, Henry can keep Hook on face time for the moment, hang on, I'm gonna go to my desk." she started to move away from the bed but turned as she left.

"You good?" she asked Killian as she walked towards her chair.

He gave her a thumbs up, something he had learned from Henry. She gave him a wink then turned back to her desk and picked up her talking phone. Hook turned his attention back to Henry giving him his best toothy smile.

"This is so cool, hey everyone, say "Hi" to Killian" he promptly made the screen move again before a picture of what looked like half of Storybrooke appeared in front of him.

Everybody waved at him, there was a chorus of greetings and he found himself giving a small wave back unsure if they could see him or not but unable to ask. Henry turned the screen back to himself again.

"We're just about to get to McGregor's Point, then we're gonna head down to the river, Rapha said something about caves along there somewhere." he gave a slight shrug as if he didn't know where they were. "Grandpa says he didn't know that there were caves there either but Rapha seems pretty sure, apparently that's where they store a lot of stuff that they might need"

Killian had a sudden thought as the voice danced through his mind again, he closed his eyes and concentrated hard. The voice had said "Jensen, go get the rope", that would mean that they would have to have had it stored close by, it was a rather substantial rope too, it would have been heavy so it couldn't be that far away. Rapha was probably right. He came back to himself seconds later and suddenly realized that Henry was still talking.

"You OK Killian? You kinda zoned out there" Henry's voice was full of concern.

He nodded, this was frustrating, he wanted to tell Henry that he thought they were on the right trail but couldn't. He watched in silence as they first approached the clearing in which he was attacked then passed straight through and down a small trail to the north. His heart picked up a beat or two, the voice in his brain threatening to come forth again but he was determined that he wouldn't let it, not right now. Henry chatted away as the walked along and within minutes they were walking along the side of the river. Henry had turned the device around so that he could see where they were going but he could still hear the boy chattering nonsense as they walked. Eventually they came to a stop in front of some shrubbery that was close to the hard rock embankment. There were plenty of footprints about showing movement in an out of the cave, this was looking promising.

Killian could hear Emma speaking to David in the room and he could hear David's replies at the river, it was a very strange experience but he was having fun.

"Dad, I don't want Henry going into those caves, him and Rapha need to wait outside" Emma sounded serious from her side of the room.

"Mom!" Henry could obviously hear his Mother in the same kind of manner as Killian could hear David

"No Henry, it's too dangerous, you can moan all you like kid" Emma insisted turning to face Killian so her voice would carry better

"I'll stay with them" Ruby came into view, could everybody hear what was going on?!

"Thanks Ruby" Emma turned back to her desk

Within a few minutes David, Leroy and Belle had headed into the caves leaving the boys and Ruby standing outside to await their return. Henry immediately started showing Hook everything he possibly could from toadstools to a fish jumping in the river. Killian beamed from ear to ear, he missed the outside world, he'd been stuck in this bloody room for far too long, Ruby's face came into view a few seconds later, her cheeks rosy red in the cold morning air. A wide smile spread over her face, she was just about to speak when something hit her hard in the back of the head and sent her sprawling on to the ground, Henry's phone must have been dropped because all Killian could see was blue sky and a few tree tops.

"Well well well... what do we have here? Looks like little Rapha has been making friends with all the wrong people" it was the voice from his nightmares and Killian just froze, he could do nothing as the face of Devin briefly appeared on his screen as he walked past, the sound of moving stones crunching under his shoes echoed into Killian brain as he stared at the screen in his lap not knowing what to do.

He shook himself hard, he needed to do something. Emma! He needed to get Emma's attention but how? He could hear Devin's voice still coming through his pad but he was fumbling for anything that he could throw to get Emma's attention. The only thing he had near by was the pillow in his lap, he grabbed it quickly and tried to throw it but it fell very short of the mark and Emma never even noticed as it landed with a soft "flump" onto the floor. Gods, they needed help now. His only other option was the table that was near the bottom of his bed, he eyed it knowing that it was too far away to simply grab but he didn't have time to waste. He threw himself forward practically folding himself in two and slammed his cast arm down on the table, he was in agony now and unable to move himself on the bed, he slid to the side and if the rail had not been up on his left he would have fallen to the floor. He lay slumped at the worlds worst angle sucking in hissing breaths through his teeth as he waited for Emma to arrive. She was there in seconds.

"HOOK?! What are you doing?" she pulled him quickly back up to his pillows trying to get his attention but he just grabbed the pad and kept shoving it at her as he tried to breath through his pain. She must have finally understood what was happening as she leapt off the edge of the bed and ran back to her desk and as he was slipping into unconsciousness he heard her shout.

"DAD... you need to get outside, Henry's in trouble. The Lost Ones are outside"

 **If I don't get reviews after this there is something wrong with you people... Come on give a girl some encouragement. :D**


	33. Chapter 33

**So that was a bit of a cliffy! So it seems that I might be able to do two updates today after all, we will just have to wait and see. Thank you again to all that take the time to review, it does encourage me to carry on with my tale.**

 **Best get on with the story.**

David stood in awe at the sight before him, the network of tunnels that had lead them to the huge open cave were like a giant maze, he had used a chalk marker on the walls so that they wouldn't get lost on their way back out. The cave was vast but not entirely dark, some light seeped in through an opening high up to one of the sides of the ceiling but the flashlights still helped him see the huge piles of supplies that lay all around the edge of the space. There was everything from tinned food to blankets and even an old bike propped up against a wall.

"It looks like they've been storing things here for a while" he said to both Emma down the line and the other two in the cave.

"Yeah well, not anymore" he could hear the smirk in her voice down the line

David walked over to the stockpile, Leroy coming up beside him.

"We'll bring back help later and clear this out, it doesn't look like they're sleeping here though. Maybe if we're lucky we can catch them when they come back for supplies" David gave the dwarf a hopeful look.

"You can bet on it Highness" Leroy replied with a smirk

David was happy, OK they hadn't found the boys but they had essentially just cut them off from their food store. If they couldn't catch them here at least they would be forced out into the open to try and find more food making them easier to catch, everyone in town was looking out for them.

"Emma. We're going to head back into town, I'll drop the boys back with you guys then round up some help to come ba..." he was suddenly cut off by Emma yelling in his ear.

"HOOK!"

He pulled the cell from his ear briefly at the volume then brought it back listening hard to try and hear what was going on. He could hear a commotion down the line but it was distant, Emma must have left her cell at her desk. What had that idiot done now? He turned to Belle who was looking at him with a questioning look on her face, he rolled his eyes.

"Hook, probably doing something stupid with Henry" he told her with a chuckle.

He turned back to look at the stuff lying near his feet when Emma's voice suddenly burst down the line again.

"DAD... You need to get outside, Henry's in trouble. The Lost Ones are outside!"

David was running, panic deep in his gut.

"WE NEED TO MOVE NOW" he yelled as he ran to the tunnel "THE OTHERS ARE IN TROUBLE"

There were no other words needed as the three ran in unison, retracing their tracks back to the outside world.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

Henry stepped in front of Rapha pulling the younger boy close to his back, he watched as Devin and Jensen split up and stalked towards them like two predators approaching their prey.

"Ah, so sweet... you think you can save him from us?" Devin laughed out.

"My Grandpa will be here any second" Henry blurted out hoping that he was right, he could see Ruby on the ground behind the Lost Ones and his gut clenched at the sight of her lying there, unmoving.

"Maybe but he's not here now. Rapha I am so disappointed in you" his gaze shifted to Rapha's face as he peeked out from behind Henry's back. "You told them! You showed them where to go. You betrayed us"

"You betrayed me first Devin" Rapha's voice quavered as he spoke.

"You could have been a part of our family Rapha but you have chosen your side, you could have left with us, we don't plan to stay in this dump forever, the stories we were told about the town line are all lies, they said that we couldn't cross otherwise we would forget who we were but that is not true, we can leave, we will remember who we are we just won't be able to return and right now we have no desire to do such a thing. We had enough supplies to go and now we are going to have to manage without them, you are going to be sorry, both of you I can promise you that much."

Without warning the pair ran straight at Henry and Rapha, Henry managed to pushed the younger boy out of the way before they hit, he found himself seconds later face first in the dirt, Henry barely had time to register what was happening when he was flipped over onto his back and Devin straddled his chest pinning him to the ground. He could see Jensen restraining Rapha by his wrists as the boy struggled to break free from his grasp.

"Get off of him Devin, get off!" Rapha screamed

"I will, in a minute, once I've taught him a lesson." Devin turned back to Henry now "This seems so familiar somehow, you look just like the good Pirate Captain did that night, lying there wearing his jacket, You know the night I'm talking about, the night that we killed him. Do you miss him Henry? Did you cry for him?" Devin gave a sly grin

Henry smirked himself this time "You didn't kill him you idiot, he's still alive" he grit out as Devin adjusted his position on his front.

Devin looked shocked, he squinted his eyes in disbelief "You lie, we hung him, he was dead"

Henry managed to give him his best defiant look just as Ruby gave a moan from her prone position on the ground.

"RUBY! Hel..." his cry for help was cut off as Devin's fist slammed into his face.

"She's not going to help you Henry" he grinned

Henry was still seeing stars when everything happened, his Grandpa and the others burst from the cave screaming as they ran towards them.

"HENRY" David roared

Devin's position changed in an instant from one of power to one of fear, he was up and running in the blink of an eye leaving Henry clutching his eyes while still on the ground. Rapha appeared at his side seconds later, helping him to sit up.

David screeched to a halt next to them, knees sliding in the dirt and Belle ran to Ruby. Leroy was running after the Lost Ones when David yelled.

"LEROY STOP... WE STAY TOGETHER, WE DO NOT SPLIT UP"

Leroy came to a stop, a look of absolute fury on his face.

"They're getting away!" he yelled

"It doesn't matter, we do not split up, remember what they did to Hook"

Henry looked between the two men as his Grandpa turned back to face him concern etched on his face and Leroy trudged his way over to where they were.

"Hey Kid, you OK?" he slowly pulled Henry's hand away from his face revealing his bruised eye

Henry hissed in pain as the cool air hit it, it stung badly but he knew he was OK.

"I'm OK Grandpa honest, how's Ruby?" he said trying to look past the man in front of him to Ruby.

Belle had managed to get Ruby sitting up too and had a handkerchief held to the back of her head, trying to staunch the flow of blood.

"I'm fine Henry" Ruby said with a wince

"No you're not" Belle chipped in, giving her a concerned look "We need to get you checked out"

"At the hospital?" Ruby said with hope in her voice.

"Sure" Belle replied with a look of confusion clear on her face "Where else?"

"I can do that, I think I do need to see a Doctor, you know, just in case I need stitches or something" Ruby said quickly, scrambling to her feet then swaying slightly as she got upright.

Henry was so confused, he had never seen anybody look so keen to get checked out at the hospital, his Grandpa gave a small laugh at his side as he watched Belle trying get Ruby to slow down. Adults are weird!

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

Emma's heart was pounding in her chest as she turned back to the bed, her Dad has disconnected the call in his haste to reach Henry but she knew that the iPad was still on face time. She grabbed the iPad but could see nothing, she could however hear what was going on, they had Henry! OH MY GOD they have Henry! Her gaze fell on Hook on the bed, he was lying at a really awkward angle where she had dropped him back onto his pillows when she realized what he had been trying to tell her. He had hurt himself to help Henry, her heart clenched at the thought. She was torn between watching the screen, hoping to hear her Dad's voice any second and helping her Pirate, in the end the Pirate won when he started trying to move on the bed, his face scrunching up in pain as he came too. She put the iPad on the bedside table where she could still easily reach it if she needed too and went to the man in the bed.

"Hey, lie still. I need to check your stitches, hang on" he tried his best to comply as she moved down the bed.

She pulled back his blankets to reveal the gauze that was taped over his scar, he gave a slight jump as she placed her hands on him and tugged it off.

"Sorry!" she hissed out

The scar was weepy and the area slightly swollen but the sutures held, she breathed out a sigh of relief, quickly sticking the gauze back into place then covering him back up with the blankets before moving back up to his face, taking a hold of either side of his face in her hands. He was breathing heavily again and his eyes were rolling as he was obviously trying to stay awake but he was also trying to reach for something

"You're OK, no real damage done, hey, look at me, I'll get the iPad just calm down OK" she tapped her hand slightly on the right hand side of his face to is attention

He calmed as she reached over and brought the iPad down where they could both see it, the picture was still the same but they could hear the conversations happening by the river. It became clear quite quickly that her Dad was there, he had got to Henry. Ruby was hurt? Then she heard Ruby and let out another sigh of relief.

"DAD." she yelled into the speaker "Dad, talk to me... please, what's going on?"

Seconds later her Dad's face appeared on the screen as he picked up the cell phone, her heart gave a giant leap of relief.

"Dad, is Henry alright?" her voice smaller than she wanted it so be

"He's fine Emma, we all are. Ruby's gonna need checked out, took a hit to the head and Henry will have one heck of a shiner in the morning but we are OK, I promise. We're heading to the hospital now, we'll see you soon" she said with a smile.

"Thank God" She let a long breath out "Love you Dad"

"Love you too" he said before ending the call

Emma looked at Hook on the bed, he looked absolutely beat, his face still full of worry.

"They're OK, they're all fine, you can stop worrying now. You saved Henry. Thank you. I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to him. Thank you" she lent forward and planted a kiss on his lips.

He gave her a look of relief, his eyes sliding closed and staying that way for a few seconds before he opened them again.

"Get some sleep, they'll probably be here when you wake up and you can see them for yourself" she stood from his bedside, adjusted his blankets before leaning in and kissing his cheek goodnight. He let out a long sigh as his eyes close once more and that's the way they stayed as he slipped back into sleep.


	34. Chapter 34

**Things are starting to look up for our good townsfolk, it's nearly Thanksgiving, will they have something to be thankful for?**

 **Let's find out :D**

He could hear voices, they were mumbling too quietly for him to hear what they were saying but they were persistent. This was new, the voices were usually clear and jeering, normally the voice belonged to Devin. These voices were different, he listened hard, this voice belonged to... Henry! Just like that everything came back, his eyes popped open when he realized that he was hearing voices because they were in his room not in his head. His heart raced at the sight of the boy before him, Henry had his back to him so he couldn't see his face but he was talking animatedly to his Mother, obviously regaling her with his morning's adventure. Killian breathed in a sigh of relief, he really was OK.

He watched silently as Swan fussed over her boy, he realized with a start that Henry was wearing his jacket, a memory niggled his brain for a second of Henry telling him that he'd look after it for him and the other thing too. His heart made a leap, he had completely forgotten about the item that he had been carrying that night. Did he imagine Henry telling him he had it? He closed his eyes in concentration as he tried to think of a conversation they had had but came up with no visible memory, just that same niggling voice in his head.

"Hook? Are you OK? Are you in pain?" a voice was suddenly by his side.

He jumped in surprise instantly freezing in pain at the movement.

"Oh Hook, I'm so sorry... I need to stop doing that" Snow face was one of pity as he opened his eyes and looked at her.

He indicated for her to pass him his iPad and quickly typed out.

"I am quite alright, I was just thinking. I think I remember Henry telling me that he would keep my jacket safe for me but I can't quite place when the conversation took place. I was probably still not feeling the best when he spoke to me, not to worry" Snow read out loud

At the sound of his Grandmother's voice Henry turned around to face them, his eye was swollen shut and very purple but he was grinning like a mad man.

"I did tell you that, it was when you were first brought in... they were keeping you asleep and we didn't know if you were going to be OK or not" Henry wore a look of amazement on his face.

"Actually Henry, we were pretty sure he heard you" David cut in "You" he pointed to Killian "were lying there in that bed and Emma was going out of her mind with worry, she allowed Henry to come in and see you, he was told he had five minutes, I wasn't happy at all, I thought that Henry would struggle to deal with you looking like a bloody corpse in a bed"

"Dad!" Emma burst out.

David just shrugged "What? He did, still does sometimes when he's not wearing his make up." he gave Killian a cheeky wink before carrying on "Anyway, when Henry was speaking to you we were standing watching, me and Emma, when I noticed that your heart rate picked up every time he spoke to you. I don't know about anyone else but that was the moment I knew you were going to be OK" he gave him a wry smile.

"Cooooool" Henry dragged out "You really did hear me when you were sleeping"

Killian couldn't quite believe it, had he really heard the boy in his sleep?! Maybe he hadn't imagined Henry saying he'd keep the other thing safe too. He waited until the excitement in the room had calmed and he could ask Henry with no one else about.

Henry looked over his shoulder in a conspiratorial motion then lent in to whisper to Killian after he read his question

"I've got it right here" he patted Killian's own jacket on the front indicating it was in the inside pocket.

Killian couldn't help but grin when Henry carried on "I take it you want me to keep it safe until Christmas? That's what it's for, right?"

Killian gave him a tight nod then raised his finger in a shushing motion. Henry gave him an over exaggerated wink then broke out into a wide smile all of his own.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

The next day dawned and Emma sat grinning to herself at her Pirate's bedside willing him to wake up faster. She was excited to tell him the news but to her dismay he slept soundly. It was nearly nine thirty already and he was yet to stir, being honest she shouldn't be surprised, he had woken a little after two with another nightmare, it had taken her a good while to get him settled again but she hoped that the news that she had would help alleviate those too.

She tapped her foot as she waited, another ten minutes passed and her grin had slid from her face, was he doing this on purpose? She stood from her chair an idea popping into her head and a mischievous smile twisted onto her face. She stepped forward and brought her fingers up to his right ear, she trailed her fingertip up and down the edge of it, he shuddered in his sleep and moved his head slightly but his breathing evened out again and he stayed sleeping. She furrowed her brow in frustration, Damn Pirate could sleep through a hurricane. She thought she'd try a new tactic, she moved to the bottom of the bed, slowly lifted his blankets and revealed his bare right foot, she gave him a glance as she brought her fingers to the sole of his foot giving a quick tickle and letting out a small giggle to herself. He twitched his foot slightly but didn't wake so she tickled a bit more but this time he yanked his foot back causing his sore knee to slam into the table over his bed. He jerked awake, eyes going wide and a look of utter confusion on his face. Emma felt bad but not bad enough to admit her part in his reaction, she quickly threw his blanket back over his foot before rushing to his side.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she tried to sound as innocent as possible "You having another nightmare?"

He flopped back on to his pillows shaking his head, she watched as he calmed his breathing down eventually opening his eyes at her, a smile spreading over his face as he took in her "worried" face! She needed to change the subject now before he thought too hard about how he had awoken.

"I've got news" she gave him one of her widest smiles.

He furrowed his brow in question.

"Leroy called, the other dwarves think that they've found Rufio. My Dad is headed out there with Leroy now. He says that he'll check in later to keep us updated" she couldn't hide her happiness at the look of joy that spread over his face

"AND" she carried on "We had a call at about nine last night from a resident saying that their garage had been broken into, there were backpacks and some food supplies stolen, then at about eleven my Dad took a call, it seems that while Blue was heading home from the church she saw Devin and Jensen heading in the direction of the town line. Dad went and checked it out, there was no sign of them anywhere so maybe they have finally gone, Henry seemed certain that they were going to leave, maybe he was right." she raised her eyebrows with a hopeful look.

He gave her a smile then motioned for his iPad, he typed out for her to read.

"Perhaps Love but do not get too complacent, everybody still needs to keep their wits about them until we are sure" he gave her a serious look

"I know, I know... I'm just so tired of this whole thing and hey, it's Thanksgiving tomorrow, I want something to be thankful for" she said with determination.

"Talking of which we were going to bring Henry and Rapha here tomorrow afternoon, Henry wanted to do some crafts and things with Rapha but didn't want to leave you alone on Thanksgiving. It's been decided that we'll spend the afternoon here with you then they'll all go to Granny's for dinner."

He took up his iPad again "You could go with them if you wish Love"

"No way Buddy, the thing I am most grateful for right now is sitting right in front of me" she gave him a warm smile "Besides Mom says that Granny is making me a special take out dinner, I get it personally delivered to my door. I thought we could have a quiet night in, watch a movie on your iPad and snuggle on your much too small bed, sounds like bliss to me, what say you Captain?"

"Aye Love, sounds good" he typed out.

Things were certainly starting to look up, they had found Rufio, the Lost Ones seemed to have finally got the message and left town plus Hook would be getting his jaw wire off in about a week's time, that would mean he could have his feeding tube removed and THAT would mean that he could FINALLY go home. Emma couldn't help but smile, things were changing, she could feel it.

 **Please review, I know I keep saying it but it helps me understand if people are enjoying my story or not so it is important. Many thanks in advance xx**


	35. Chapter 35

**I'm so sorry that there was no update yesterday, I was having some quality family time, we were having a season 4 marathon in preparation for the new episodes starting soon. There was lots of fun, lots of laughter and copious amounts of food were consumed. It was nice just to kick back and enjoy life :D**

 **Not being American I have never celebrated "Thanksgiving" but it sounds like fun, I'm jealous lol**

 **The reviews have dried up again, I should probably just give up asking you for them but they make me so happy when you take the time to send one that it makes me a little sad when I don't get any. Oh well, people are still reading so I guess you're enjoying the story.**

 **This is a slightly longer update to make up for yesterday, so please don't hate me for taking a day off. ;P**

Shortly after mid-day Emma's cell rang, she answered quickly when she saw her Dad's name on the display.

"Hey Dad, what's the news? Did you find Rufio?"

"We sure did, I'm on my way back to town now. Rufio's going to head in first thing tomorrow he's gone to collect his wife. Emma he was so happy when I told him we had Rapha here in Storybrooke with us. I've filled him in on the whole story and he's insisting on meeting us at the hospital, he wants to thank Hook personally for helping the boy" She could hear the happiness in his voice down the line.

"Great, I think that would be good for everyone. Finally we can put this whole damn thing to bed." She raised her eyes and looked at Hook as he watched her talking.

"My sentiments exactly" her Dad agreed "I'll see you guys soon, tell the Pirate I'm ready to kick his ass at Angry Birds when I get there, tell me, how did a three hundred year old get so good at that game anyway?"

"He's a Pirate Dad, he's probably figured out a way to cheat" She threw Hook a wink as her Dad laughed in her ear.

She walked over to Hook's bed a second later, disconnecting the call, her Mom had taken both Henry and Rapha to Granny's for lunch leaving them alone for a short time.

"They found him" she broke out into a wide grin as Hook's face changed from one of worry to relief.

He typed quickly

"When his he coming? Are they on their way?" excitement clear on his face

"Dad's on his way back but Rufio has gone to collect his wife so won't be here until tomorrow. He knows all about how you helped Rapha, he's insisted on meeting here so he can thank you" Emma watched as Hook's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"The Lad saved me more than I saved him" he typed out

"Yeah well, I think you pretty much saved each other." She gave him a warm smile.

"Hook, because of you that boy will have his family back, he will be back with his Brother after all this time" her brow furrowed in concern when he suddenly looked sad.

"What? What's wrong?" she asked, giving his arm a rub in comfort.

"I was thinking of my own Brother, what I wouldn't give to spend just one more day with him. I lost him long ago but he never left here" he brought his hand up to his heart and gave her a sad smile.

"Liam?" she prompted

"Aye. What a pair we made." he gave a rueful smirk as he typed "Losing him is the reason I became a Pirate, so I suppose in the end, he is what lead me to you. I sometimes think that surely he has been looking out for me all this time otherwise I would have perished years ago. He was always doing that, looking out for me. I am glad that Rapha will have that once again, there is nothing in this world quite like the bond between Brothers" he shook the sadness from his face and gave her a broad smile.

"You Captain Hook, are a big softy"

"That's because today I am not Hook, I am very much Killian Jones right now" he winked at her then a sly grin appeared on his face "Don't worry Captain Hook will return, when he needs to" he raised an knowing eyebrow at her and she blushed furiously, slapping him softly on the chest and giggling.

"Bloody Pirate" she beamed, she was just leaning in to give him a kiss when Whale came in, God, was this a conspiracy?

"Sorry" he looked uncomfortable or a second before gathering himself back together and heading to the bed.

Emma stepped back to let him carry out his examinations, a sudden thought popped into her head.

"How's Ruby?" she asked

"What do you mean by that?" He turned to her, anger on his face

"Uhm, she had to stay overnight... she had a concussion!" she added tentatively

"Right, sorry. She is fine, she is being discharged very soon. I will tell her you were asking after her" he gave a curt nod.

Emma was confused again, what was going on with this guy? Yip, weird, definitely weird. She watched as he worked.

"Well I think that it's time that we started you on some light physiotherapy" he looked at Hook "We'll start the day after tomorrow, get Thanksgiving out of the way first. We'll start with stretches that can be easily done without you leaving your bed. As you know we plan to remove your jaw wire next week, hopefully we can do several things at the same time. I want to be able to remove the jaw wire, the sutures on your hip and all your various tubes except for the feeding tube, that one will need to remain for a short time after the wire removal, we can't have you losing anymore weight so will be continuing with your night feeds until you can consume enough calories by yourself. I also hope to be able to remove your arm cast, I will carry out an x-ray first but I am hopeful that the small fracture in your hand will have healed sufficiently and the pins and plates in your arm will be enough to hold the larger fracture in place. This will allow us to start you on a more rigorous therapy plan, we can get you in the pool, it's the best way to build up your strength which you are going to need if you want to be out of here by Christmas."

"Truly? I will be able to leave for Christmas?" He typed quickly

"As long as you have somewhere suitable to stay, that Pirate ship will definitely not suffice" Whale warned

Hook looked totally crestfallen and Emma's heart clenched at the thought that he would think that he would be going anywhere other than home with her.

"That's not a problem, he's coming home with us, after all he fits in only too well with the "Charming" family" she gave Hook's hand a squeeze as his grateful eyes met hers.

"Then yes, there's a lot of work to do but you are making good progress which will only improve if we can get you home with your family, you are going to need them, the work doesn't stop when you leave here. You have a long road in front of you but with their help you will be back on your feet in no time" he gave a genuine smile.

Hook was beaming from ear to ear and Emma couldn't help but join him, finally things were looking up and they had a timescale to work too, her Pirate would be home for Christmas if it was the last thing she did.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

Killian was unfamiliar with the custom of "Thanksgiving" he hadn't the heart to tell Emma so he just nodded along with all her suggestions to decorate his room the next morning. He didn't really care, he was just happy see everybody smiling and chattering as lots of things were hung around him, the favored color seemed to be the colors of autumn or as they preferred to call it in this realm "Fall". He liked it, it gave his room a warm feeling as everyone busied themselves. Rapha and Henry sat by his bed making various things, they were at the moment making paper turkey's. Henry had bullied Hook into helping, in all honestly he would have been happy just to watch as the boys worked but he could never refuse the boy this simple pleasure. He was holding the birds body as Henry and Rapha glued paper feathers to it's rear and after the final ones were in place Henry took it from him and held it up.

"There, finished. What do you think Mom?"

Emma turned from hanging a large chain made of paper across the wall "It's great Kid, you guys did a great job"

"How much longer until they get here?" Henry asked for what seemed like the hundredth time.

Emma rolled her eyes "God Kid, if you ask me that more time I swear I'm gonna sock you in your other eye" she said with a hearty laugh. "They'll be here soon, I'm not sure exactly when but they're coming, I promise."

Everyone was happy, he was happy. He felt the warmth of the family around him and presumed that this was one of the reasons why they had this celebration. He never even noticed when he slipped into sleep again, he hated how that kept happening. He only realized when he awoke sometime later to the sound of shushed laughter. He peeked his eyes open to see David wrestling with Rapha and Henry over what seemed to be the last cookie. The boys had managed to pull him to his knees on to the floor and were practically climbing up his body to try and grasp it as held it high above his head.

"Would you boys stop, you're going to wake up Hook" Snow bent low over them and said in a hushed whisper, her eyes jumping to him in the bed.

"Great, too late" she threw her hands in the air "You didn't even manage to let him get half and hour!" she stood with her hands on her hips.

The trio all looked a bit sheepish and David's arm dropped. Henry stood first and looked towards Killian.

"Sorry Killian" he said in his most pathetic voice. He stood closest to the bed so no one saw when Killian gave him a meaningful look then slowly drew his eyes to the cookie in David's hand a couple of times, he raised his eyebrows in an encouraging motion. It took Henry about two seconds to get what he was meaning, a wicked smile appearing on his face. Henry moved fast, he darted to the side and swiped the cookie from David's hand before he even knew what was going on. Henry yelled in triumph as he leapt around the other side of Killian's bed using it as protection from his Grandpa. David's jaw hung open at the sneaky move, face morphing as he squinted in disbelief.

"Oh, like that is it?" eyebrows going high

"Yip, it's always easier with a Pirate on your side, right Killian?" he lifted the cookie up like a trophy and Killian beamed at his happy face before meeting David's face, he shrugged an apology at the Prince but it was clear that he was on Henry's side. Henry split the cookie in two and gave half to Rapha, the boys stood eating their prize with very satisfied looks on their faces.

"You'll get yours Pirate" David waggled his finger at him "Just you wait until you can eat food again, I'm going to wait until you're not expecting it and that tasty morsel that you'll be lifting to your newly freed mouth will be mine... I was looking forward to the cookie" the words were said in jest but Killian got the feeling that the Prince was not kidding, he really would have eaten the cookie himself!

A knock at the door silenced the room, all eyes turned to the entrance as the head of a young man appeared. Even without having ever seeing Rufio it would have obvious who the lad was, he looked like Rapha, only older, early twenties at most. He stepped into the silent room, his wife tucked shyly in behind him. They both wore what could only be described as Native American clothing, soft leathers and moccasins. His hair, though missing it's bright streaks of red looked a lot like it had done back in Neverland, sitting high on his head in somewhat of a Mohawk style, his wife wore her's in long braids. Killian tried to see passed Rufio as they walked further into the room, something about the girl looked familiar to him but couldn't quite see.

Snow surged forward, as always she was only too happy to welcome people with open arms.

"Rufio, we are so glad you could come. I'm Mary-Margaret, this is my Daughter Emma, you've met my husband David, the baby sleeping in his stroller is our Son Neal, this is my Grandson Henry, you of course know Hook" Rufio's eyes met with Killian's and a warm smile split the boy's face and he gave him a little wave that Killian reciprocated.

"And this" Snow pulled Rapha to stand in front of her facing his Brother, her hands on his shoulders "This is Rapha"

The next few minutes were a blur as Rufio scooped his Brother up into his arms and hugged him close, there were a lot of tears and a whole lot more laughing as the two were reunited.

Emma walked over to Killian's side and took hold of his hand.

"You did this" she said, tears shining in her eyes.

He shook his head and took up his iPad "No Love, WE did this" he gave her a warm smile. The both of them watched as the Brothers chatted loudly, Rufio's wife finally stepped out from behind the pair and Killian drew in an audible gasp. He scrabbled for his iPad again while he listened to the chatter in the room as Rufio finally stepped back from his Brother's embrace.

"Thank you so much for looking after my Brother, we are so grateful." he reached behind himself and took the girl's hand, bringing her forward.

"I'd like to introduce my Wife, Rayen" there was a murmur of greetings

"Such a pretty name" cooed Snow "What does it mean?"

The girl spoke quietly in a slight accent "It means flower" she said simply.

Killian finally managed to grab his iPad and jabbed at the screen then shoved it into Emma's hands.

"It's so nice, what was your name back in the Enchanted Forest?" Snow asked with a quizzical look on her face

The girl simply gave another small smile then opened her mouth to answer when Emma's voice rang out into the room.

"Tiger Lily! This is Tiger Lily?!"


	36. Chapter 36

**So yeah, Tiger Lily is here in Storybrooke! Who Knew? Not I... well that's clearly a lie isn't it? I always loved Tiger Lily so I knew I wanted her in the story from the beginning, the question is, Is she the same Tiger Lily we all know and love like in the Disney version or is there more to the tale?**

 **Let's find out :D**

 **Reviews make me happy...blah blah blah, you know the drill ;P**

"Coooooooool, you married Tiger Lily" Henry's voice was loud and clear in the silence.

Then everyone spoke at once, chaos ensued as they all tried to ask questions, speaking over each other. Mary-Margaret surged forward, she wrapped her arms around the girl and pulled her into a tight hug as David clapped his hand on Rufio's back and shook his hand,. Emma watched the scene unfold, a smile on her face but as her Mom pulled back from her hug with Tiger Lilly Emma noticed that the girl wore a very confused look on her face. Why was she confused? What was Emma missing. She turned to look at Hook and found him staring furiously at the newly revealed visitor.

"What? What's wrong?" Emma whispered in a low voice that only he could hear.

His eyes met hers and all she would see was bitterness and anger, not a look she had seen on his face in a long time. She had once wondered at the handsomeness of his scowl but now it didn't suit him, he was no longer that person anymore.

"Hook?" she brought her hand to his cheek "What? You're scaring me"

He took the iPad once more and started typing out his reply, Emma glanced into the room again as he kept going. Tiger Lily looked very uncomfortable, she looked like she wanted to run from the room. What the hell was going on? Emma looked back at Hook just as he was finishing typing, he once again shoved the iPad back into her hands and slammed himself back into his pillows clearly not happy about the situation.

"Read this out loud to everybody." she read to herself. Hook tapped the iPad with his cast and pointed into the room in a clear indication that he wanted his message read aloud. Emma stood from the edge of his bed and announced in a loud voice.

"Hey Guys... GUYS. Sorry to interrupt but Hook has something to say." she glanced at her Pirate as he continued to sit steely faced on the bed, he gave her a tight nod so she took in a breath and read.

"This girl is not to be trusted..." she was immediately stopped by calls of outcry from most people in the room.

"Guys, if you would shut up for two minutes I'll finish reading THEN you can ask questions" she stared at the group of people in front of her and couldn't help noticing that Tiger Lily was the only one not complaining.

"Right, can I carry on?" she didn't wait for their approval she just surged on wanting to know the answers herself , she started again.

"This girl is not to be trusted, she was in cahoots with Pan and the Lost Ones for as many years as I was in Neverland."

All eyes turned to Tiger Lily. She merely lifted her face and gave a thin smile.

"It's not what you think" she said in a small voice.

Hook scoffed in the bed behind her and Emma felt him touch her on the back to get her attention. She turned around, he was red with fury now, the tendons in his neck stood out and the muscles on his face ticked furiously as he obviously worked his jaw in anger. He grabbed the iPad back, again typing like a mad man, this time Emma read as he typed not wanting to get into a tug-o-war over his only way of communicating.

"You bloody near damned killed me... and then you stood over me with that bloody demon and laughed, yet you dare to come here and expect me to... what? Welcome you with open arms" she read out

There was a loud gasp in the room, Mary-Margaret actually took a step back from Tiger Lily as if she were about to do something terrible. The girl looked at Rufio for help, who then in turn looked at Hook.

"We knew this would not be easy Hook but I hope that you will let Tiger Lily explain. You once saw it in your heart to help me, you helped me leave the influence of Pan behind me and grow into the man you see today. Tiger Lily has tried to do the same, please allow her to tell you her side of the story."

Hook stared at Rufio like he wanted nothing more than to tell him to leave but she could see the silent battle going on in his eyes, he was torn. Eventually he closed his eyes and gave a deep sigh then typed.

"I do this for you Rufio, you and Rapha, I owe her nothing" his eyes met the man on the other side of the room and they both nodded in agreement.

Tiger Lily stepped forward, she actually walked over to Hook's bedside coming to a stop by Emma. She pulled in a deep breath then started her tale.

"For many moons my tribe lived in harmony with the Lost Ones of Neverland. Peter was my friend I am ashamed to say, for the longest time we were as close as any two children could be. My Father doted on us both and honored Peter with the name "Little Eagle", it was always such a wonder to us that he could fly high with the birds. In the beginning it was just Peter and I but soon other children started to arrive on the island, Peter told me he had no idea how this came about, many were scared when they first arrived but soon there was a whole tribe of Lost Ones who seemed only too happy to be on our island. Then one day the Pirates arrived and Peter told us that they had killed many children in other lands and that they had been sent to kill us all. My Father was furious, he immediately declared war with the pirates, we would send out scouting parties before we went anywhere to ensure none of us were captured. One day on one such mission we found one of our young Braves dead, he had been tied to a stake in the ground and left in the heat of the sun with no food or water for many days. Peter told us how he had seen a group of Pirates near by and how it must have been them who had carried out this hideous crime. I was so mad, the Brave had been my friend so after we had returned to our village to come up with a plan on how to hunt down the Pirates, myself, a large group of Lost Ones and Peter took off on our own, hell bent on vengeance. We found the pirates and a fight ensued, the pirates fled and they all escaped, except one" she paused and looked up at Hook, eyes big and round with sorrow. He still wore a scowl on his face and he actually tried to cross his arms but couldn't quite pull it off.

Unable to hold his gaze she carried on. "The Pirate we caught had fallen down a ravine knocking himself out, we managed to pull him up and Peter suggested that we did to him that which he had done to our own Brave. Peter flew the two of us plus the Pirate, to another part of the island, away from the place we had captured him so that if the other crew members came back they would find nothing. We tied the pirate to the stake, when he awoke I saw a different side to Peter, he was cruel and taunting. The Pirate denied any wrong doing, he claimed that their party were merely picking berries, I believed him but Peter insisted that he was lying, in the end we left the Pirate alone in that clearing. On the third day we returned to find the pirate near death, Peter howled with laughter but I couldn't, we had killed a man, or nearly anyway, Peter got mad at me for not laughing too so I did just that, to appease him. My eyes could not leave the man in front of me, he was hurt from his fall, dehydrated, burnt from the sun and had clearly damaged himself further while trying to get free. We left not long after but the image was stuck in my head and I crept back in the night, untied the Pirate and dragged him as close to his ship as possible before lighting a small signal fire so that his crew would find him."

She moved uncomfortably from foot to foot "I suppose this was the day that I started to question Peter in my head. He had seemed so different to me on that day. From then on I listened to him with caution and it paid off. I witnessed something some months later that made me completely change my opinion on everything I had ever known. I witnessed the same Pirate that I had saved from death trying to kidnap a young Lost One. I was alone in the jungle and frightened to move in case I too was taken but as I watched I saw the young boy strike out and incapacitate the Pirate by lodging a dagger in his back. The Pirate fell to the ground unable to do much more than groan in pain. In that moment I was ashamed of myself, I had saved this man and he had gone on to do this terrible thing, I planned to end it there and then by finishing off the pirate but stopped in my tracks when another Lost One appeared, he ran to the Pirates side, pulled him to his feet and mostly carried him away. I followed at a safe distance, they never knew I was there. I watched as the Lost One helped the Pirate back onto his ship and how a short time later Tinkerbell arrived. I was so confused as to why they were both helping the Pirate if he were so bad. I crept closer, I managed to get myself on board the ship and close enough to hear what was going on. That night I learned that it was Peter who controlled the island, he was manipulating everyone around him. I found out that night that everything I had ever known was a lie, the Pirates were not out to kill us and the Lost Ones never asked to be kept in Neverland, the boy with the Pirate wanted to leave and Tinkerbell had agreed to help. I left the ship a short while later intent on returning to my tribe and exposing the truth. I got about half way across the island when I was surrounded by shadows, Peter had always told me that the shadows were controlled by dark magic that the Pirates could control but that night I saw the truth. Peter arrived soon after, I told him that I knew that he was lying, he just smiled. He didn't seem to care that he had lost my friendship, he ordered the shadows to take me back to their camp. He disappeared for many hours and when he returned he told me that he had told my Father that the Pirates had abducted me and that they were fleeing the island. I knew by then that that part was true, I had heard Tinkerbell discussing the plan with the Lost One and the Pirate, they were leaving that very night. I never thought for a second that Peter could ever be so cruel but it became clear to me that night that we were all just a part of his giant game, he cared for no one but himself, he tricked the Lost Ones into joining him on the island then kept them there with it's magic. I told him that I would escape and tell everyone what I had learned but he just laughed. The next I knew was that I was being dragged from my homeland by his shadows, he banished me, he told me if I EVER returned he would kill my Father. I had no choice in leaving and I could never return, I knew then that it was Peter who had killed the Brave that day and manipulated me into thinking it was the Pirate, I had to protect my Father, I could never go home, Peter would not think twice about killing him if I did. I was taken to a strange world, one I knew nothing of. I survived in the wilds for what seemed to be the longest time until one day I was discovered sleeping in the hollowed out trunk of a tree by a boy, he was a few years older than me and at first I was scared but as I looked at him I realized that it was the same Lost One that had escaped the island with the Pirate that day all those moons ago. I was wrong to blame the Pirates for all that was wrong with my land, I know now that it was Peter but I thought he was my friend and I trusted him, he just used me and my family for his own amusement, I see that now" tears leaked down her face as she finally looked back at the Pirate of whom she had just been talking

Hook's features had smoothed out, he looked conflicted, then typed again

"You were young and trusted the wrong person, I cannot hold the woman here in front of me responsible for the mistakes that she made as child." he gave her a small smile then typed again "You truly returned me to my ship? We never quite understood how that came to pass"

"I did" she nodded "It seemed like the right thing to do. I am so sorry Hook, I never truly understood the extent of Peter's influence until I came to be with Rufio. When he found me in the Enchanted Forrest I was the very epitome of a Lost One, he saved me like you saved him and now it seems that you have saved Rapha too. We will remain here, in town for a while, myself and Rufio, we are going to scout around the area to see if we can pick up the trail of the two remaining Lost Ones"

"They've left town" Henry chirped up

"Don't be so sure" Rufio's voice carried across the room "The Lost Ones always did like the element of surprise. We just want to find out one way or another, I want those boys to pay for what they did to my Brother and to Hook. Devin always was a nasty piece of work, he learnt straight from Peter himself and was always willing to do anything Peter asked of him, he is dangerous when crossed, he will stop at nothing to get what he wants"

"Yes well, we aren't going to let that spoil our day now are we?" Mary-Margaret stepped forward "Now that we're all friends, let's have some fun, it is Thanksgiving after all."

The room was filled with excited chatter for the next couple of hours as everybody got to know everyone else. Emma watched her Dad and Hook as they seemed to be laughing at each other over a silent conversation on the iPad, she smirked to herself, those two had the biggest bromance going on. She watched more carefully, was her Dad drunk? He was certainly beginning to act like it? Wait, was he slipping Hook a flask, Hell no!

"DAD! Are you giving him RUM?" she roared as she practically flew over to the bed, the rest of the room fell into silence. She grabbed the flask from her Dad's loose grip and he beamed at her.

"Maaaaaaaaaaaybe" he slurred.

She looked at Hook, he looked absolutely wrecked, a lazy smile spread across his face.

"Dad, he's on prescription painkillers you idiot, he can't drink alcohol!" she scolded

"Well that's a lie" David slurred "Clearly he can drink alcohol 'cause he just did!"

She was going to kill him.

"David what did you do?" Mary-Margaret gasped, realizing what had been happening under her very nose.

"He just needed a bit of his favorite rum, it's not like he's never had it before, he's a bloody Pirate, he probably has it on his cereal" he gave a giggle and looked at Hook to see his reaction but Hook was no longer listening, he was sleeping with a trail of drool sliding down his chin.

"Great Dad, just great. There goes my romantic night. Happy Thanksgiving! Just be thankful I'm not killing you right now. Go on, get out of here before I kick your ass" she huffed out

"Sorry honey, he just looked like he could do with a laugh after all the drama of the day, don't hate me" he looked really sorry.

"I don't hate you Dad, just go have dinner, I'll just... sit and watch him sleep all night!" she lent over the bed and pressed the call button thinking it best to get Hook checked properly.

"Seriously Dad, just go to dinner, all of you, go and enjoy your night" she tried not to sound hurt as they all started grabbing their things to leave.

"I will remain with you, I wish to hear your stories of the great Captain Hook. I wish to hear the truth of the man that I believed for the longest time to be a man with no honor." Tiger Lily said sincerely

"You don't have to, it's OK" Emma didn't want her to feel bad just because her Dad was an idiot.

"I know and yet I want to stay. I would like it very much if we could become friends. I feel I have much to make up for in my life and if I am to be a good influence on Rapha I wish to start that now" she looked so hopeful Emma couldn't refuse her

"Sure, why not. I could certainly do with the company now that the good Captain will probably snore the night way. You can share my dinner when it arrives, Granny always gives me HUGE portions" she gave a genuine smile of thanks.

Maybe tonight wouldn't suck as much as she thought it would.


	37. Chapter 37

**Well it is POURING down today and distinctly chilling, it seems that autumn is upon us. Don't worry yesiamanowl I'll wear a hat, can't have my brain freezing before I finish my story now can I? Lol**

 **I'd also like to give a wave to the reader in Peru! It really does bend my brain that so many people from so many different parts of the world are reading mu story. * waves * Hi :D**

 **Give me a shout with what country you are from if you want, then I'll know who is who :D**

Killian felt like death, what had the Prince done to him the night before? The room was too bright and his head felt like it might explode if he didn't cover his eyes soon. He tried to shift his position to a better one but everything hurt, his hip was ablaze and his ribs felt like someone had used them as a xylophone throughout the night, he let out an audible groan as a wave of nausea swept through his entire being, head spinning and stomach churning, this was not good.

"Killian?" the gentle voice beside him still made him jump in surprise

Another groan... then he suddenly realized what he had done, he had groaned, he had made a noise. The excitement at the realization paled into insignificance when he opened his eyes and scorched his retinas in the beam of sunlight that hit his face. Gods, he was going to die. He slammed his eyes shut again and threw his left arm over his face as he sucked in a few deep breaths trying to stop his stomach from making a mad dash up his throat and jamming itself into the back of his teeth. They must have assumed that he had returned to sleep because after a few minutes Emma spoke in a hushed whisper

"I'm going to kill you Dad" She sounded angry

"I'm sorry Emma, I didn't know it would do this to him, honestly" the Prince did sound like he regretted his part in all of this.

"Dad, you should know better, he has no knowledge of how our medicines work, how was he supposed to know that the painkillers would react with the alcohol. Do you know that I spent a good part of the night at his side because Whale had to put him back on his heart rate monitor and blood pressure machine because his pressure dropped really low at one point. Oh yeah and they couldn't give him his night feed in case he decided to throw it back up, that would have been just great to deal with, with his jaw wired shut! God Dad, he has enough shit going on without you adding to it" she huffed out the last words.

There was silence in the room. Killian could practically feel them watching him as it stretched on.

"I am sorry Emma, do you honestly think I would have given him any alcohol if I had known? I think we can say that I am well and truly past the stage of wanting the Pirate dead... he is my friend Emma, I didn't know" Killian was shocked, the Prince just referred to him as his friend! That was new but then he supposed they were friends now, he just hadn't put a label on it.

"I know Dad... I just, I was so worried." she stopped for a few seconds "Did you hear that before though? He actually groaned, his voice is coming back Dad, I was so worried that I would never hear it again, it's been so long"

Killian couldn't hide his face any longer, he needed to see his Swan. He mentally prepared himself then pulled his arm back down to his side, the light hit his eyelids and sent shooting pains straight to his brain. Gods, he was never drinking rum again.

"Killian? Come on open your eyes... please" she begged him and he couldn't refuse her.

He peeked through his lashes at her worried face and tried to give her his best smile but he must have failed badly because the worried look never left her face. He wanted to tell her that the light was hurting his head but couldn't even sum up the energy to open his eyes fully never mind type on the bright screen of the iPad but she seemed to read his mind, she took off across the room and closed the blinds, sending the room into near darkness, it was bliss, he could finally see without the blinding pain in his head, he should have known that she would understand, she was the savior after all.

"Better?" she asked as she came back to him.

He gave a nod then groaned again as a wave of dizziness spread through his body, his entire being ached and he just wanted to return to sleep where he didn't have to deal with all of this.

"A nurse is going to be in soon with some Tylenol, it's the best we can do at the minute until the alcohol is fully out of your system so you're gonna be sore for a while buddy, They've canceled your Physical therapy session for today, you're in no fit state to start it." She was playing with the hair that fell onto his forehead as she spoke, his eyes dropped closed at the feeling, it was soothing.

"It's still early why don't you go back to sleep, your bootlegger friend over there is heading out soon with Rufio and Tiger Lily to see if they can find any trace of the Lost Ones. My Mom is gonna be here with Neal shortly, Rapha is gonna spend the day with Henry at Regina's, apparently she has taken quite a shine to the kid. I'm hoping that it will be another thing that we have in common, you know someone we both care about that will help us get passed the whole Marian thing." she dropped a kiss onto his cheek

"Sleep now Pirate, I want you looking lively later on today, none of this lying about doing nothing. I need my deputy back. We still have work to do, Nevengers stop for no one remember?"

Sleep sounded like a good idea, hopefully when he awoke he would feel slightly more human... at this moment he would consider killing the Prince himself for doing this to him. That man was going to pay. He slipped into sleep with a slight smile on his face as he visualized of all the ways he was going to seek revenge on his friend, oh the Prince had it coming and he was going to be the one who delivered the counter strike.

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David really did feel bad as he headed out of the hospital grounds on foot to meet up with Rufio, they had decided to take a look around town for any signs of the boys. If they were still in Storybrooke they had to be getting food from somewhere after all. There had not been a single sighting of the Lost Ones since the day the Nevengers had found their stash of goods in the caves. David hoped that they really had left town, he was in no mood to deal with anymore of their crap today, he was nursing a hangover all of his own, not that he'd tell anybody that. No, that secret was his alone, they'd probably just throw it back in his face and tell him that it served him right which he supposed it did. He had figured the walk into town would do him good, blow the cobwebs away so to speak but it was freezing and he was beginning to regret not accepting the lift from Rufio that he had offered.

Twenty minutes later and David walked into the front door of Granny's diner, the scent of breakfast hit him and his stomach gave a loud growl. He had time for breakfast, right? He looked around the booths and was quite happy to see that Rufio and Tiger Lily had not arrived, breakfast it was.

He was just finishing his pancakes when his companions for the day finally arrived. He gave them a wave as they entered and then headed over to his booth, sliding onto the bench seat opposite him.

"How's Rapha?" David asked

"He is good, he is excited to spend the day with Henry, he certainly has taken a shine to your Grandson" Rufio said with a chuckle

"Yeah well, Henry has that affect on people" David laughed back. "You guys want anything before we head off"

"We have eaten already" Tiger Lily added "We came in here earlier, the food is quite delicious. We have already made an early start, we are quite used to rising with the sun so we headed out into your town in search of any signs of the boys." she gave Rufio a nervous look

"We think we have found some" Rufio added looking at David "You are not going to like this either. I think it best that we show you where we think that they are hiding"

David was puzzled but also impressed, they had found the Lost Ones in less than one morning!

"OK, let's go then..." David grabbed his jacket and they all headed out onto main street.

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David was standing staring, his jaw hung open, they wouldn't, would they?

"Really? You think they're hiding in there? Those little..." David was livid, this was just too much, this was like the final insult.

Rage rose up inside him as he turned back to look, the Jolly Roger bobbed up and down on it's moorings next to the dock. These boys were not going to get away with this. He marched forward towards the gang plank turning to his companions.

"Come on, what are you waiting for" he yelled.

They looked at each other then hurried after him. He waited for them on the main deck, now that he was standing there he could see the signs of destruction around him, there were empty beer bottles everywhere, great, the Lost Ones had discovered beer! He took out his gun then quietly pointed for them to go through the hatch to the hold while he motioned that he was going to go up to the quarterdeck and descend into the Captain's quarters. Rufio was armed with a bow, the tight space below would not allow him the use of it properly and briefly David worried for them but as Rufio stalked away David saw him pull a short axe from his belt, yeah they would be fine.

"Be careful" he whispered

He worked his way through the mess and up the wooden stairs towards the hatch that he had seen Hook go through many times when they were traveling to Neverland. He stopped, the hatch was open, his heart picked up a few beats, they were really here. He glanced over at his companions but they had already disappeared below deck so he sucked in a breath and followed suit.

Hook's quarters were a mess, his bed had clearly been slept in, his personal effects were in disarray and his wardrobe was in tatters but there was no one there, the room was empty. David sighed, picking up a few bits from the floor as he made his way into the room. He headed for the door in the corner seconds later with the galley in mind, looking for hungry boys it would probably be the next logical place that they would be.

His heart started racing again as he walked down the small corridor, he could hear movement in the galley, they were in there! He crept up to the doorway, heart hammering in his chest, he readied himself before he finally took a deep breath and threw himself through, gun raised out in front of him. He never even had time for his eyes to adjust to the room before him as his gun was knocked from his hands in a blur of motion from his right, he found himself helpless against the attack as something cracked him in the side of the head sending him crashing to the floor in a reign on blows.

 **Another cliffy, I'd say that I'm sorry but clearly that would be another lie!**

 **Enjoy your day :D**


	38. Chapter 38

**Yeah, so it pretty much poured with rain all day until about 7pm then the sun came out!**

 **Oh well, tomorrow is another day.**

 **Let's see how Charming is faring.**

David's head was throbbing, he could feel hands on him going through his pockets, he tried to stop them but his world tilted on it's axis as he moved 'causing him to fall back onto the floor. He heard shouting then running footsteps on the wooden floor.

"David, are you alright?" he heard Tiger Lily's voice beside him but he was still too out of it to answer. His hearing was muffled and black spots swirled in his vision, how was that even possible with your eyes shut. He felt her lightly touch his head and he gave a hiss in pain as her fingers touched the huge crevice that had appeared on his temple. He heard more footsteps then Rufio's voice was in the room too.

"They got away, I don't know what way they went and I didn't want to go after them without knowing the town properly" he sounded exasperated. "How's he doing?"

"Not good, he seems to have been hit on the head, he has a nasty cut that will need attention" she said in a worried voice.

He needed to get up, the Lost Ones were getting away and he couldn't let that happen. He tried to move again but his limbs felt heavy, he couldn't get them to do what he wanted and the room was spinning again. He tried one last time to sit himself up but it was no good, the room was fading and his hearing was dipping in and out now, then finally his mind gave out and his world went dark.

The next he knew he could hear the voices again, someone was running their fingers through his hair, back and forth in a soothing motion. What was Tiger Lily doing? He tried to move away from her, it was a little inappropriate even if he was hurt.

"Charming?!" Snow's voice was close to his ear.

He was so confused, how had Snow got on the Jolly Roger, she was supposed to be with Emma. It was no use he needed to open his eyes so he breathed through a wave of nausea that rolled through him and peeled back his eyelids to be greeted by the face of his loving wife. The room was bright and was definitely NOT on the Jolly Roger, he squinted against the light and looked passed Snow to be greeted by the sight of a still rather green looking Hook asleep on his bed. He closed his eyes again giving out a loud groan, Good God, he was in the hospital and what was worse he was sharing a room with the Pirate.

"Hey, come on open your eyes. Charming, please open your eyes, we've been so worried" Snow was pleading now.

He couldn't deny her when she sounded so worried so he pulled his eyes open again, she beamed at him, tears in her lashes.

"Oh David, I've been so worried" the tears escaped her lashes and spilled down her cheeks

"I'm OK" was all he could managed, his throat felt like he'd eaten a tonne of sand. He coughed and as he opened his eyes again he was met with a cup of water and Emma's worried face next to Snow's. He took a deep drink then handed the glass back to his Daughter.

"How long have I been out?" he shifted in the bed, Emma's bed he noted.

"A few hours, it's just after four." Emma said glancing at the clock

David started trying to pull the blankets back, he needed to get to the station but a wave of dizziness washed over him again causing him to fall back with another groan.

"David, you need to lie down, you have a concussion. Victor says that you need to stay the night at least, he's going to be in shortly to check on you."

Snow was covering him with the blankets once more and as much as he would like to have pretended to himself that he was OK he knew that he wasn't. He brought his hand up to his head and could feel a large gauze pad taped to his temple.

"You took quite a hit, any idea if it was the Lost Ones? Rufio never saw who it was although he suspects it was them" Emma was in sheriff mode, he could tell.

"I never saw their faces but it was them Emma, they have done quite a bit of damage to the Jolly, we need to fix it up before Hook leaves here, I don't want him seeing it like that. Does he know anything about what happened?" he gave the sleeping pirate a look of concern

"No, he's pretty much been sleeping all day" Emma replied

David again felt really bad, he really hadn't known that the rum would be such a bad idea.

"Good, keep it that way." he gave a slight chuckle then carried on "Looks like karma has definitely caught up with me for nearly poisoning him last night" he gave a lopsided grin at his two girls.

"Hey, you didn't know. It's OK, just concentrate on getting better" Snow dropped a kiss onto his forehead and he looked at Emma

"What she said" she added with a grin as she walked away towards her Pirate.

He closed his eyes again, he was just so tired. Maybe staying in the Pirates room wouldn't be as bad as he thought it would, it seemed like Emma had forgiven him for last night, hopefully Hook wouldn't hold it against him either.

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Emma sat later that night in her usual space next to Hook's bed wondering how the hell she had ended up sitting in a hospital room with both her lover AND her Father, it was just too weird to think about.

Her Mom had begrudgingly left about half an hour before and only because she had to take Neal home. Henry was staying with Regina after a quick phone call and Rufio and Tiger Lily had left to collect Rapha just after David was brought into the ER, they were understandably keen to have the boy back with them as soon as possible even if he was probably safer in the house of the former Evil Queen.

Emma sighed, Whale had managed to find her a recliner chair from the blood donation unit so that she would be able to get some sleep after her Dad had taken her bed.

Movement on Hook's bed had her getting to her feet, she wasn't settled for the night yet so was quite happy to see him waking up.

"Hey, how you feeling?" she watched as he stretched, wincing a bit as it obviously pulled on his sore body.

He gave her a wide smile, he looked much better as she watched him look for his iPad. She quickly grabbed it and handed it to him, she watched as he turned it on and typed out his message.

"How did your Father get on with the search this morning" he looked at her so innocently she realized that he had no clue that the man in question was lying not even ten feet away from them.

She didn't speak, not knowing how to word it without telling him the whole truth, she didn't like keeping things from him.

He looked panicked at her lack of answer and typed out quickly.

"What is it Love? You are worrying me, just tell me"

She drew in a breath and let it out slowly then looked over at the other bed, giving her head a nod in that direction, his gaze instantly followed hers. The minute he figured out what she was showing him he was moving in the bed, he was trying to pull the blankets back and scooting towards the edge like he planned on getting up.

"WOAH, slow down just a minute. He's fine" She slammed her hands onto his front pushing him back onto the bed.

"He's just sleeping right now, he took a hit to the head. He has a slight concussion but should be up and about in the morning" she held him down as he still seemed to be struggling a bit, breaths hissing in and out through his teeth.

"You need to calm down Hook, you're gonna hurt yourself... more than you already are." Emma pleaded.

She finally released him when he calmed enough that she knew he'd given up on getting up. He lay at an odd angel, kind of sideways across the bed, his blankets were a mess and his right leg hung over the side from his knee down. She gently took hold of his leg and he gave a whimper, his knee brace had been removed a few days before but it was still quite bruised and the movement obviously pulled on his damaged pelvis as she lifted it back up onto the bed, tucking him back beneath his blankets. She moved back up to his top half.

"Come on Pirate, let's get you sorted here. Come on, you can't lie like that all night" she managed to wrestle him up into a sitting position then fixed his pillows before he lay back down, by the time she had finished he looked beyond tired again but he was reaching for his iPad as soon as he was sorted.

"What happened?" was all he typed, obviously too tired to put in more effort.

"He was blindsided by the Lost Ones, he never saw it coming. He had split up from Rufio and Tiger Lily and by the time they found him the boys had long gone" she was deliberately vague in her summary of the events, she wasn't lying, just omitting the details, she had learned from an expert after all.

"Are you sure he is quite well?" he typed slowly, eyeing her Dad suspiciously.

"I'm sure, do you think my Mom would have left if he wasn't?"

He relaxed at that statement obviously conceding the point. She thought that he was going to go back to sleep but he surprised her when he opened his eyes and typed on his iPad again.

"I am sorry Love, I did not mean to frighten you. When I saw him lying there I thought that they had done to him as they had done to me... I just want this to be over. I want my life back, I want to be able to sleep without that Hellion's voice appearing in my dreams, I want the pain to go away but most of all I just want to go home, with you." she looked at him, he looked quite emotional and her heart melted.

She sat on the edge of his bed and carefully pulled him up into her arms, he clamped his arms around her and hugged her tight. They stayed like that for a few minutes until she could feel that he was struggling to stay sitting up at the awkward angle, she broke the hug, gave him a kiss on the lips then helped him lie back down.

"Don't get any ideas over there Pirate, that is a Royal Princess you are pawing, just remember that her Father is in the room"

Both her and Hook looked over at the other bed quickly to see her Dad smiling widely, he moved gingerly in the bed and suddenly Emma realized he was trying to get up. She jumped up and was across the room in seconds.

"What are you doing? Are you crazy? You need to stay in bed" she yelled

"You're right I do need my bed but I also need to pee so unless you want to get your old man a bed pan I suggest you move out of the way" he gave a laugh at the look of horror on Emma's face

"You're on your own old man" she said, turning up her nose slightly.

She headed back over to her Pirate stopping briefly to pick up her book from the floor where it must have fallen during the chaos that had ensued from Hook's unexpected escape attempt, she felt a tap on her arm and when she looked around Hook had a wide grin on his face as he held the iPad out for her to read.

"What do you think your Father will do when I show all of Storybrooke a photo of the moon"

He was giggling now as he took the iPad back trying to work it and hold onto his sore ribs at the same time. She couldn't help the smile that spread on her face at the sounds that escaped his throat, his giggles actually having some sound now but she was also confused and watched him intently for a minute until he turned the iPad back around to show her a photo that he had obviously just taken of her Dad retreating into the bathroom, his hospital gown was only tied at the top and the photo showed a clear picture of his naked butt. Her jaw hung open as Hook gripped his arm to his side tighter, trying in vain to stop the laughter hurting him while he typed out once again.

"Serves him right for trying to bloody kill me with my own bloody rum last night, do you think Henry would help me to get this photo thing developed? Is that a possibility?" he actually lifted the iPad, turning it in his hand as if he would be able to figure out how to print it right then.

She just rolled her eyes, why had she shown him how to use that damned iPad, she just prayed that her Dad was discharged in the morning, she wasn't sure how much more of these two being trapped in the same room she could stand!


	39. Chapter 39

**I am a bit of a sucker for the bromance of Hook and Charming, what can a I say, I think they bring out the best in each other. :D**

David couldn't sleep, he looked at the clock on the wall again, three thirty! His head ache had mostly gone leaving only a dull pain but obviously sleeping most of the previous day away had played havoc on his circadian rhythms, his body was totally confused and obviously thought it was time he was awake. He gave a loud sigh as he turned over onto his side looking into the room, punching his pillow to try and make it into a better shape that might somehow pull him into sleep. From his new position he could see Emma sleeping in her recliner chair, she must have fallen asleep listening to music as her ear phones were still in and he could hear the slight tinny sound of something that sounded like it had far too many beats in it for his liking.

What ever happened to good music? The kind you could lose yourself in. He closed his eyes again trying to will his mind to switch off but now that he had heard the beat of Emma's music it was like a bug in his ear. God, this was torture! He threw himself back on to his back and stared at the ceiling the beats still invading his brain. As he lay there listening to it with annoyance he heard another noise, at first he just thought it was one of the other two in the room moving in their sleep but it persisted for a few seconds, he furrowed his brow, what on earth? He pulled himself up on to his elbows and looked across the room to see Hook, he was obviously having another nightmare. David had never witnessed one before now although Emma had told him that they were becoming a common occurrence. David watched hoping that the dream would stop and allow the Pirate a night of peace but it didn't seem to be abating. He was just on the verge of getting up from his bed to go and wake Hook up when the man in question lurched forward on the bed sitting bolt straight up, eyes wide and frantic, he was making the most horrendous sound that David had ever heard, obviously trying to pull breaths into his lungs but unable to due to the the wires that were currently holding his mouth closed. David was up and running in seconds.

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He couldn't breath, couldn't draw in enough air. His head was pounding in time to his heart that was currently slamming itself against his ribs in an erratic beat. Devin's voice was loud in his head taunting him, the rope was still around his neck, he clawed at his throat but no matter what he did the rope wouldn't loosen, he was going to die! His chest was on fire and he still couldn't breath. He was totally lost now, the voice in his head just getting louder and louder, he could see the tree, Hangman's tree, they were throwing the other end of the rope over it... God no, not again.

Then in amongst all the chaos he heard a different voice.

"HOOK"

Had he imagined it? Where had it come from? He needed to breath but his chest was stuck, breath hitching in stuttering movements, unwilling to provide him with enough air.

"HOOK, YOU NEED TO SLOW YOUR BREATHING DOWN"

The voice was still there, it was louder now too, it gave his brain something to latch onto, something to drown out Devin's taunting tones that were just waiting to start again.

"Come on Pirate, slow your breathing down, come on just breath with me... in... and out... in... and out. Come on you can do it"

He felt someone take hold of his left arm and he jumped at the contact, breath hitching once more.

"Hey, it's OK, it's only me, come on breath with me"

David? He could feel David gripping his stumped wrist, it felt strange like he was holding it against something warm!

"Come on, that's it breath with me"

He realized that David must have been holding his arm against his own chest so he could feel him breathing deeply, it helped he could feel each breath as he breathed in and out and he tried to bring his own shuddering chest into sync with the Prince's.

After what seemed like an eternity he finally was able to breath, he was exhausted but was unwilling to even think about going back to sleep, Devin's voice was still lurking in the back of his head. He turned his face to see David sitting on his bed still clutching his arm to his chest. It suddenly became a bit awkward and he tried to pull back but to his surprise the Prince held tight.

"Just give yourself a few minutes, don't worry, I won't tell anyone that you needed me to hold your... well, I can't say hand but you know what I mean" he gave him a sincere smile then a little laugh escaped him

Hook closed his eyes and took in another deep breath unwilling to admit to himself that the man on his bed was still bringing him comfort but at the same time not wanting him to let him go, somehow he felt more grounded and was not willing to let that feeling go just yet. His heart still thumped uncontrollably in his chest but it was starting to slow, his muscles kept jumping from the surge of adrenalin that had been pumping through his veins for far too long.

The two sat like that for a while until Hook's breathing and heart rate had settled back to normal, he looked at David as he eventually laid his arm back down onto his bed.

"You alright? You want to talk about it?" David asked, a serious look on his face.

Hook was about to give his usual answer of no when a sudden thought occurred to him, maybe he should discuss it with David. He turned his head and looked at Emma who was completely oblivious to what had just happened, she had been through so much through all of this, perhaps talking with her Father would help, he kept promising her that he would talk about it, maybe this way he could keep his promise without having to make her deal with his inner most fears.

He looked back at David sitting on his bedside and gave a nod. David gave him a broad smile.

"Good" was all he said as he reached over the bed and took Hook's iPad from the charger before handing it to him.

Hook could feel the panic starting to rise again, his heart was starting to pick up it's pace but David saw the signs.

"Hey, it's OK, take a deep breath. Take your time, I'm right here, nothing bad is going to happen." he soothed.

For the next few hours the two men sat together, what started off as a conversation about Hook's attack turned into so much more. Hook found that David was only too willing to share some of his experiences too, how he had felt when he lost Emma, he had placed her in that wardrobe and sent her to another world not knowing if he would even live to see her again. How when Snow was with child for the second time he was convinced that something would go wrong and he would lose this child too. Hook spoke of his loss, first Milah then his Brother and finally himself.

"Thank you" he typed

"No problem, what are friends for" David quipped back as he finally stood from Hook's bed

Hook furrowed his brow, deep in thought for a second.

"What? You look think you're gonna do yourself an injury, you're thinking so hard" David laughed

"You truly see me as your friend?" he typed and gave David a confused look

"Sure, I'll admit that when I first met you I wanted to punch you in the face... wait actually I did that didn't I?" he paused and gave a wide smile "BUT you changed, you helped us bring Henry home, you stayed and proved that you are more than a Pirate, you make Emma happy and that's all a Father wants in life, you'll learn that one day"

Hook was shocked, he took up his iPad one last time.

"I have never had a friend before. When I was a boy I had my Brother, when I was in the Navy I still had my Brother and I had a rank, friends were not a luxury I could afford. As a Pirate Captain I had a crew but none were my friend I ruled by fear so that no one could get too close. I am glad to have finally find one that was worth waiting for"

"Go to sleep Pirate, all this talking has gone to your head and made you all mushy" David gave a laugh

Hook wasn't entirely sure what David meant by "mushy" but he gave the man a wide smile as he took the iPad from his hand and put it back on charge. Hook was tired and this time as he closed his eyes he wasn't afraid to go back into sleep, talking to David had really helped put things into perspective. He gave a loud sigh as he settled back onto his pillows and finally let sleep take him again.

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When Emma woke in the morning her Dad was sitting up next the Hook's bed watching him sleep.

"What are you doing?" she asked in concern

"Nightmare" was all he said.

"God, not another one" Emma was at a loss with what to do to help her Pirate "I just wish he would talk about them, I think it would help him to deal with everything"

"He did" He raised his face to look at her

"He did what?" she asked confused.

"He talked to me. Don't be mad at him Emma. I think he was trying to protect you from anymore hurt by not talking to you about it" He looked at her pleadingly

"I'm not mad Dad, I know that it must have been really hard for him to finally open up, I'm just glad that he spoke to someone about it. Thank you" she walked around the bed and gave her Dad a hug.

She stood by her Dad's side, her arm around his shoulders as he still sat in the chair by Hook's bed.

"So are you two finally going to stop acting like children then?" She gave a small smile as she watched her Pirate sleep.

"I don't think so" her Dad replied with a wide smile.

"Yeah, well just know that the once technologically ignorant man in front of you seems to be leaping straight into the 21st century, don't blame me when he gets his revenge for the rum thing" she said cryptically and threw him a wink as she headed to the bathroom for a shower.

When she returned to the room about ten minutes later it was to find her Father leaning over her Pirate taking a photo all of his own, she had no idea where he had managed to get a pink teddy bear from but he had and he had tucked it into the crook of Hook's arm. He stood back up and turned back to Emma.

"You let him take a picture of my ass?"

"I didn't let him do anything!" she blurted out

"Yeah well, if I see that photo anywhere the whole of Storybrooke will find out that Captain Hook sleeps with a pink teddy bear!"

He fiddled with the iPad for a few minutes before declaring

"There. I have a copy to work with now and Mr Paparazzi over there has a new wallpaper to look at every time he turns this thing on" he gave a satisfied nod

Emma just hung her head in exasperation wondering what time Whale did his rounds, she needed her Dad discharged as soon as possible!


	40. Chapter 40

**Pink Teddy Bear... BAH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Sorry I couldn't resist, will Hook let it go now? Don't be daft!**

 **WOW... chapter 40 already, how did I get here so quickly? Only a short fluffy chapter tonight, sorry, it's after 1:30 am but I wanted to give you something.**

 **Let the physiotherapy (or physical therapy depending on where you are lol) commence :D**

Killian had barely managed to drag his eyes open when his physical therapist arrived to start his long road to recovery, David had been discharged before Killian had woken up but had stayed to bid him farewell leaving only minutes ago as the woman bustled into the room.

"OK Mr Jones I'll warn you right now that this is going to be tough, it's going to be tiring and most of all it will be painful. There is nothing I can do to stop any of these things happening, we really should have started your therapy already but due to your recent surgery and numerous other injuries we had to delay it. We are going to start with stretches that can be carried out on your bed, these will be carried out today and tomorrow and on Wednesday we will get your catheter removed, I know Dr. Whale stated that he would do this later but after further consultation we have decided to bring it forward so that we can get you up onto your feet and moving, it will mean that you will either need to use a bed pan or get assistance to the bathroom until your mobility improves enough for you to manage by yourself. The sooner we get you up and about the better it is for your long term recovery. Once your cast, sutures and jaw wire are removed next Monday we will get you into the pool, that is when you can make real progress as the water will support your weight and allow you to build up your muscles without too much stress on your damaged pelvis and stiff joints"

Killian's mind was racing, he was going to be getting out of this infernal bed in two days! He couldn't help the grin on his face as Emma took his hand, the therapist started preparing various things on the table that she had set up next to his bed. He watched as she laid out what looked like giant multicolored pieces of rubber, he looked at Emma confused.

"They're resistance bands" Emma whispered, he was still confused

"They're used to help you stretch your muscles, one end will hook over, say your foot and the other end would be held in your hand and you have to push your foot away, the rubber stretches but gives some resistance for your muscles. I presume that the different colors are for different strengths of resistance" Emma clarified.

"Yes, that's right, I'm impressed Miss Swan" the therapist looked it too.

"Broke my leg a few years back, therapy was a bitch" Emma shuddered at the thought "And it's Emma by the way and he's just Hook, Mr Jones makes him sound like an old archaeology professor!"

"Becca" the therapist said with a laugh "Old or not there is nothing wrong with THAT Mr Jones, Junior OR Senior when I think about it, although if I'm not mistaken I think he was a Doctor."

"You're right there, on all points. I always loved Sean Connery" Emma agreed

Killian was so confused, who the hell were Dr. Jones and Sean Bloody Connery?! He couldn't even ask his questions, he hadn't turned his iPad on for the day before Becca had arrived. He must have still looked really confused as Emma gave a giggle and rubbed him on the arm.

"It's from a movie, well one of a set of four movies actually, ones that I think that you will love by the way. If you behave yourself for the next half hour or so and work hard I'll see if I can get them on your iPad for you and we can watch them together, it'll make a nice change from reading." she gave him a cheeky smile and he couldn't help but smile back.

That was forty five minutes ago, that was when he still felt human, he most definitely was no longer smiling now. Becca had obviously worked for Regina in her castle back in the Enchanted Forrest as a torturer. He hurt from head to toe, not a single part of his body didn't ache and he felt slightly nauseous. He was lying on his back once more after Becca has twisted and turned him on the bed so many times he had lost count. He had his eyes clamped shut as he tried to mentally make his pain go away when he heard his persecutor speak.

"Victor will be in soon to administer some stronger pain killers, you're probably going to need them. It does get easier I promise, the next few weeks are going to be tough but it will be totally worth it if we can get you home for Christmas, right?"

He felt bad, she was only trying to help him. He opened his eyes and tried to give her his best "Thank you" smile. She smiled sweetly back at him.

"You did great, see you tomorrow, get some rest, you look beat" she patted his leg then turned to leave.

She wasn't wrong he felt like he could sleep for a week and it wasn't even eleven in the morning. He could hear Emma chatting away to Becca as she walked her to the door. He had closed his eyes again, the pain was starting to ebb as long as he lay still and he could feel sleep tugging him down into his pillows. He felt a soft kiss on his cheek moments later and let out a contented sigh, he was finally in control of his own destiny again, if he put in the work he would be home in just a few short weeks, an image of the loft, decorated in all the glorious splendor of the Christmas season popped into his head, there was a large tree with sparkling lights like the ones Henry had shown him a while ago. He had never celebrated Christmas before but Henry had described it in great detail to him one evening and something in the spirit of the holiday captured his imagination, he knew there and then that he wanted to spend that day with Emma and Henry and he had gotten her the perfect gift, one that he knew she would "treasure" for all eternity. He smirked to himself at his own quip as he finally settled down to get some sleep, yes his Swan was going to love his gift, Henry had helped him with it and it was perfect.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

When he awoke a couple of hours later he still felt tired and achy but in all honesty he felt better than he had thought that he was going to after the contortionist poses that he had been forced into earlier that day. Emma was sleeping in the chair next to his bed and Snow sat on the other side with the young Prince sleeping, cradled in her arms.

Snow was quick to notice that he was awake and greeted him warmly.

"Hey there" she gave him a Mothering look, she had done it so many times recently that sometimes he couldn't help remembering his own Mother in those moments, he gave her a warm smile back.

"Emma's not long gone to sleep, she didn't get the best night's rest last night with David taking her bed, I thought I'd give her a little while longer before waking her" she said softly

He nodded in agreement and shifted his gaze towards his Swan sleeping in her recliner chair next to him, she looked so peaceful in sleep, all the worry and stress of the last few weeks was gone and she looked beyond beautiful. He smiled to himself as he watched her but was shaken from his musings seconds later when Snow shimmied forward on her seat.

"Here" she moved quickly, he had no voice to protest as she placed the young Prince on his front, his arms automatically moving up to hold him in place even though that was the last place he wanted him to stay.

"Sorry but I've got to... you know... uhm... I'll be back in a minute, OK?" she took off towards the bathroom.

Killian sat rigid, he didn't want to move for fear of hurting the young lad but as he sat there he quickly realized that the Prince was still sleeping and he let out a slow sigh of relief. The baby's warm breath puffed out against his neck and he could hear his little murmurs of contentment as he slept soundly. It felt nice, this little boy was part of his family now, he could teach him the way of the ocean, teach him how to wield a sword, the proper way with all the flamboyance of a Pirate Captain not the way that his Father would teach him all rigid and formal, sword fighting should be fun not stuffy and regimented. Killian turned his head trying to get a looked at the sleeping baby's face, he could just about make out his features but he was a little too close to see clearly and the angle was beginning to hurt his neck. The boy stirred in his sleep and Killian automatically with out thinking shushed him and gently bounced him back into restfulness using his arm across the boys back. There was something very peaceful and relaxing about holding a baby in his arms, the warmth of his little body seeping into his very soul, Killian sighed in contentment and didn't realize when his thoughts turned from just that into dreams.

Snow returned to the room a few minutes later to find all three of her family members sound asleep again. Yip her test had worked, he was a natural with kids, that was another concern that she could wipe off her list, he really was going to make the most wonderful Son in Law one day. A wide smile adorned her face as she hummed to herself in happiness, yes, he was certainly ticking all the right boxes recently.


	41. Chapter 41

**Only one chapter today but it's a biggie so I hope you all enjoy it.**

 **It's still raining here and decidedly cold!**

 **Let's get back into the cosy heat of the hospital shall we...**

Hook had slept for what seemed like an age the first day his therapy started and the second day didn't get much better, Emma was worried how he was going to cope with actually getting out of bed. He was currently sitting on his bed trying to figure out how to remove the Pink Teddy Bear picture from his iPad, she had point blank refused to get involved with their stupid game. His nurse had removed his catheter about an hour ago which meant that he could finally wear some soft pajamas, he looked adorable lying on top of his blankets for the first time, she had chosen dark colors knowing that that was his usual style. He looked strange with the crew neck top covering more of chest than she could ever remember being covered and he kept pulling it from his neck obviously not used to fabric being so clingy. He had his left leg bent at the knee, foot flat on the bed and he was bouncing it furiously as he worked, he was nervous too. He must have sensed her watching him as his eyes left his iPad and locked on hers.

"You OK?" she asked him tentative, he typed out his reply.

"Aye Lass, I just wish that they would hurry up, I wish to be free from this bed as soon as possible"

"And you will be, they should be here soon. Dad's gonna drop by later, he says he's got something for you! Don't ask me what it is, he didn't tell me" she was quick to add the last part at his confused face

A few minutes later there was a banging noise at the door as an orderly came through the door backwards pulling a wheelchair through after him, he turned around and beamed at them.

"Hi, my name is Frank. You ready to go Captain?"

Emma couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face when Hook dropped straight into his "Captain" demeanor after Frank had used the title. His usual smile had disappeared and he was wearing his best scowl, it however seemed to have no effect on Frank, he just wheeled the chair up to his bedside without a care in the world.

Emma watched as Frank maneuvered Hook from the bed into the chair, he was clearly in pain, hissing breaths in through his teeth but yet again Frank paid no attention.

"OK, lets' go. The gym is not far, it will only take a few minutes to get you there" he clapped his hand on Hook's shoulder from behind in a friendly manner.

Emma nearly burst out laughing at the scowl that appeared on Hook's face, it clearly said "Take your hands off me" but Frank either didn't see or didn't care. She bent down at his side as they started to move and whispered.

"It's OK, he's one of the good guys "Captain", just relax, it'll be OK"

He gave her a worried look, he so didn't know what the hell was coming and her heart clenched a little for him.

A short time later Emma stood in the gym holding the handles on Hook's wheelchair to stop it moving as he was being pulled to his feet between Becca and another therapist, the fact that he had only one hand and that that hand was currently not able to take much strain meant that he was having to be supported on both sides to keep him upright. Emma wheeled the chair away moving down to the other end of the room where she knew they would be walking too, the other three stood looking down the long narrow room towards her. Hook was smiling now, obviously over the most of his nerves and just keen to get on with it.

"Right Hook, we will start off slowly, on the count of three I need you to lift your good leg forward and take one step, we will support you so don't worry you won't fall. Once you have managed that I want you to try and lift your right leg and bring that forward too, try not to drag it, the faster we get your mobility back in your hip the better. Ready?"

He gave a nod and then they were moving, he managed the first step quite well then paused, she watched as he pulled in a deep breath and started to move again. His movement was jerky and obviously very painful, his face screwed up in what looked like absolute agony but he carried on until he had managed to bring his other leg to meet the first. Once he was stable again his eyes flew open and a look of pure joy spread across his face, Emma's heart was thumping in her chest, after all the crap he had been through this one simple task meant so much, it gave him hope.

"Great, you are doing so well. Now, we are going to do ten steps in total and then we'll get you back in your chair, think you can manage that?" Becca said in an encouraging voice

He gave her a very enthusiastic nod.

"Well let's see it then Captain" she teased

His chest puffed up at his title being used again and Emma could see steely resolve in his face as he started the process over. The whole thing ended up taking nearly ten minutes, after the first few steps his movements became a bit more sloppy, his right foot sliding on the floor instead of being lifted and by the time he was finished he was practically hanging in their arms, exhausted and sore.

"Emma, do you think that you could bring his chair please" Becca called out to her

"Sure" She pushed it up behind them and Hook was lowered down, he was panting quite heavily and clearly in need of a nap but he was smiling, the little crows feet at the side of his eyes where bunched up making him look extra happy.

"You did great today Hook, I'll see you back here bright and early tomorrow morning" Becca gave him a pat on his shoulder in praise. "I'll send in Frank to get you back to your room, I bet you could do with a nap"

Hook just nodded, he really couldn't do much else anyway, his iPad had been left back in his room, he gave Becca a little wave of thanks as she walked away.

Frank appeared seconds later "Ready to head back?"

"Whenever you are" Emma replied "can I push him?"

"Sure, why not, just let me get the door for you" Frank said with a wide smile.

Fifteen minutes later and Hook was back in his bed and out for the count, she really didn't think that he would be awake for a good few hours so had settled herself down at her desk to do some work when her Dad's face appeared around the door. He had removed the gauze pad from his temple and she could see the neat row of sutures and deep purple bruise that had bloomed out across his forehead towards his eye.

"Yeowch" was all she said

"Nah, I'm fine, looks worse than it is" he said with a smile as he walked towards her and dropped a kiss on to the top of her head.

"How'd he get on?" he jabbed his thumb at her Pirate still passed out in his bead.

"Great" her smile must have been infectious because her Dad smiled right back at her.

"He managed really well, he was so tired by the end of it though, he'll probably sleep for a good few hours so if you are here for some tantalizing conversation you're out of luck" she laughed.

"Nah, just swung by with this." he raised a very large paper gift bag that he held in his hand up so she could see it better.

"What is it?" Emma asked full of curiosity.

"Let's just say it's something I got framed for him" he replied with a wink

"Dad! I was hoping you two had moved past this whole photo fight"

He gave her a slightly confused look for a second then just smiled at her.

"Wait and see, just wait and see"

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

David was nervous, he had thought that the framed picture was a great idea this morning but now as he sat waiting for Hook to wake up he thought that maybe he should have left it to a different day, the pirate looked beat. He had been sleeping for over three hours and showed no sign of waking anytime soon.

"Would you stop staring so hard, you're gonna pop up in his dreams if you don't stop soon" Emma's voice pulled him from his thoughts.

"I wasn't staring AT him I was staring towards him, there's a difference" he defended

"Whatever you say Pops, what is up with you today?" she asked him sincerely obviously picking up on his nervous energy

"Nothing, just thinking. When he finally get's out of here we could maybe do with one of these in the loft" he patted his hand on the arm of the recliner chair he was currently sitting in. "We could put it by the couch that way he'll be able to join in with family time and will be close to the bathroom and dining table, it'll make it much easier for him to get about"

Emma looked stunned.

"WOW Dad, you've given this some thought. You know those things are expensive right?"

"Yeah well, the good thing is when Captain Clumsy is back on his feet and the chair is no longer needed it means that I have a new chair to watch the football from" He raised his eyebrows high and gave her a loud laugh.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure Mom will be thrilled" she rolled her eyes "I could always ask Whale if there was any chance that we could maybe borrow the one from here" she said hopefully.

"That's a good idea" a sudden thought popped into his head "Leave it to me, I'll ask him next time I see him" he gave her his most innocent look.

"What is going on between you two anyway, he's been acting funny for days now" Emma eyed him suspiciously

"I don't know what you mean" he said sarcastically batting his eye lashes at her.

"Dad, he's been great with Hook, please don't upset him, I'd like to keep him from adding bolts to my boyfriend's neck if possible" she gave him a pleading look.

"Fine" he sighed out "I'll play nice"

"So what happened?"

Dad gave her a wicked smile "Remember when we though the Lost Ones were using Zelena's old place?"

"Yeah" she looked puzzled

"Well, the Lost Ones weren't but Whale was..." he added cryptically

"What do you mean Whale was? You mean like, he's staying there?"

"Not exactly staying there, more like taking advantage of the facilities... with a friend" he couldn't help the laughter that escaped him as he remembered Whales face when he'd been caught.

"WHAT? Who?" Emma's eyes went wide in shock

"Let's just say that he obviously hasn't got any pet hair allergies" he said with a grin

He watched as Emma's brain worked trying to solve the puzzle then the moment it clicked.

"RUBY!" her mouth opened wide in shock "Oh my God, I did not see that one coming, she's obviously kept that one quiet otherwise everyone would have known when Mount Granny erupted down main street"

"This makes total sense now, he got all jumpy after I asked how Ruby was after her concussion the other day, he thought I knew, he thought you had told me, HA" she was laughing hard now

"He'll maybe leave your Mom alone now" David added half joking

"Dad! She was cursed, get over it already... you were sleeping with Kathryn at the time if you remember correctly, it's not fair to keep throwing that back in her face"

He thought about it for a minute, she was totally right, he had been with Kathryn at the time and that must have been hard for Snow to deal with too.

"You're right, I'll stop"

She gave him a skeptical look

"I will, I promise" and he meant it.

A groaning noise from the Pirate's bed had them both moving to the other side of the room. Hook looked to be in quite a bit of pain as he tried to straighten himself out on the bed.

"Hey, you want some painkillers? Whale left some for you earlier." Emma asked him with a look of concern

He just nodded clearly still very tired, David watched as Emma drew the sticky liquid up into the dispenser, Hook was on liquid medication due to his inability to open his mouth and probably would remain on it even after his mouth was released as it would be easier for him to swallow. Emma noted the time on Hook's chart then came back to his side, stroking his hair from his face as she spoke.

"I'm going to leave you with my Dad for a while, OK? He's brought something for you and no, I don't know what it is so if it's something that is going to make this stupid game escalate any further I'm not getting involved"

"It's OK Emma, it's nothing like that, I promise, please stay" David gave her his best sincere look

He bent down and retrieved the frame from the side of the bed where he had left it when he first arrived., it was big and awkward but he held it tight.

"OK, so as you know Belle has been working on finding out everything she can about the Lost Ones, Neverland, Rufio and generally anything else that might be of some help to us in catching those little idiots. Well she was looking through a particularly old set of books and came across a folder filled with old sketches and plans, as she was looking through it she found these"

He lifted the large frame up and turned it towards the Pirate, he balanced it on the table over Hook's legs at an angle that the pirate could easily see, he looked at it too, still in awe of the find

"It's actually a couple of different things" he looked at Hook, his eyes had gone wide in wonder.

"This is the original plans for the "Jewel of the Realm", it shows a dissected angle of how they planned to build it's structure and this here as you can see is a watercolor of the finished ship, complete with it's first crew"

He watched as they both took in the gift before them, he looked at it himself, still blown away by the find. The plan was much smaller than the painting but it was drawn in what looked like Indian ink, it was very detailed and had many nautical terms written in ornate script but as much as this was amazing it paled into insignificance next magnificence of the watercolor. The ship looked beautiful but even better than that was the small group of people that stood in front of it on the dock wearing their Royal Navy uniforms, David didn't know if Hook's Brother was in the painting but the fact that he could clearly make out Hook in his whites made him pretty sure he must have been.

The room was silent for the longest time, David was beginning to worry that it was too much for Hook to take in when the Pirate's watery eyes locked on his and he gave him the widest smile he had ever seen him give.

"Oh my God Dad, it's beautiful" Emma gushed out

"It's not just from me, Belle found them, I helped her clean them up, Ruby and Granny collected wood to make the frame and Leroy and the other dwarves put it all together" he made sure that he was looking the Pirate straight in the eye when he said the next part.

"ALL of your friend's just wanted to do something nice for you, they want you to get better as soon as possible, everywhere I go people are asking after you and I think it's important that you know that there are so many people out there that care"

Emma jumped up from Hook's bedside and threw her arms around his neck which was awkward as he tried to stop the frame from falling onto the Pirate's bed.

"Thanks Dad, tell the others that he loves it" she said turning to look back at Hook who just couldn't seem to take his eyes off the frame in front of him.

"I'm going to put it over here just now so that it doesn't get broken but Leroy has made a stand for it so that we can set it up where you can see it until you get out of here then we can find it a more permanent home" David said as he walked over to Emma's desk and lent the frame against the wall.

Hook moved to pick up his iPad and for the first time since the Pink Bear Photo had appeared he didn't scowl at it when he turned it on, he typed quickly.

"I do not know if I will ever be able to repay the kindest that you and the others have bestowed upon a lowly Pirate, I will forever be in your gratitude"

David sighed "When are you going to get it through your thick skull, you are and have been for a while now MORE than a Pirate and you owe us nothing, we did it because it was a nice thing to do for our friend while he was in hospital, he was there because he got hurt while trying to help all of us, we are not looking for anything in return."

Hook just smiled wider his metal work on display for all to see.


	42. Chapter 42

**Hola sakuchick, Gracias por tus comentarios , me alegro de que esté disfrutando mi historia. ¿Quién dijo algo acerca de un anillo? No yo ! (I hope I traslated this correctly if not I am sorry lol)**

 **I love getting feedback, it rocks.**

 **I think we need some more action thrown back into this fic, it's getting a wee bit mushy lol.**

 **Should have two updates today so this is a normal length.**

 **Let us proceed... with caution!**

Later than night when everyone else had gone home and it was just her and her Pirate again Emma set up Hook's iPad to finally watch the Indianna Jones movies... well the first three anyway. It was a bit of a pain as it meant that Hook had no way of asking questions and by the frustrated look on his face he had a million and one by the end of the first movie. Emma grabbed the iPad and quickly returned it to his typing app as he waved his hand excitedly at her.

"Hang on, hang on" she laughed finally giving it to him.

"This was the most exciting moovee that you have shown me so far. This fellow is most brave, although I am a bit disappointed by the inacuracy of the tale"

"You know it's just a story, right? And this coming from you "Captain Hook" the epitome of inacuracy" Emma said raising an eyebrow at him.

He furrowed his brow at her then typed again. "It is not my fault that some fool romaticized that damn demon and made me out to be some bumbling fool with bad hair! But this is worse, EVERYBODY knows that the Arc is guarded by Zeus himself, it was deemed to be too powerful a weapon to be left upon our mortal lands, how could these Natzees find it when it cannot possible be here in this realm?"

"Woah wait, Zeus is real?! Wait... why am I still surprised by these things!" she looked at his confused face. "It is JUST a story Hook, it's meant to be fun, think of it more like one of your adventure books that someone is reading to you but you have a super amazing imagination that everyone else can see too" she grinned widely at him.

He smiled at her "I am interested to see what other adventures this Doctor Jones gets up to, I never knew Doctor's lives were so exciting, can we watch the next moovee?" Emma looked at the clock on the wall, it was a little after ten but he had slept for a large portion of the afternoon and was looking particulary awake right now. He was giving her his best big puppy dog eyes and she buckled.

"One more OK, but if you're too tired for your therapy tomorrow do not get grupmy with me, OK?"

He nodded his head enthusiastically and shoved the iPad back into her hands. In all honesty it was good to see him being so animated, his movements were so much better now, were it not for the occasional whince and the obvious lack of voice you might be fooled into thinking that he was better while lying in the bed right now, grin plastered all over his face. He got way too excited for these things.

When she turned back around it was to find that he had scooted across his bed slightly and made a space on his left hand side, she just smiled at his happy face, kicked off her boots and climbed up on to the bed, tucking herself into his side. Her ear was pressed against his chest and the sound of his heartbeat thumping in her ear was like a comfort nothing else seemed to be able to bring, he brought his stumped arm around her back and pulled her close, his chin coming down to meet the top of her head.

The movie started and Emma got sucked right in, she hadn't watched it for a few years and had actually forgotten how good it was. Then suddenly somewhere during the scene where Indy was captured and forced to drink the blood of Kali Emma realized that Hook's heart was thumping in his chest, to begin with she just thought he was getting into the movie but when his chest gave a lurch and he made a horrible gurgling noise she looked up at his face and knew instantly that there was something wrong. She was up and at his side in seconds.

"HOOK! Look at me come on, damn it Killian look at me!" his eyes were glassy just staring straight out into the room and his breathing had started to pick up, each breath sounded tortured, he was trying to get air in but his chest kept hitching. Panic attack. Her Dad had told her about the one that he'd had a few nights ago while she slept. She needed to get him out of this now. She took hold of his face and turned it to look at her, he made no resistance to the move but his eyes did not meet hers, his puplis were blown wide making him look like his eyes were almost completely black and he wore a glazed expression, he obviously wasn't in this moment, he was caught somewhere in his mind.

"HOOK, come on, you need to come back to me, please come back to me" she begged

It made no difference as he continued to try to get his lungs to provide his body with enough air. She didn't know what to do, having run out of solutions of her own she slammed her hand onto the call button and waited for help to arrive. Seconds felt like hours as she watched him, trapped in his own head, playing out some horrible nightmare while not even sleeping. Tears slid down her cheeks at the strangled sounds that slipped past his lips, it was unbearable to see.

Whale pushed through the door seconds later.

"What can I do for yo..." he was cut off by the sight in front of him.

"What happened?" he yelled running over to the bed pulling his stethoscope from around his neck, he lifted Hook's top and slammed the end onto his chest, listening to his heartbeat and Emma at the same time.

"I don't know, we were watching a movie and it just started, this is the first time this has happened when he's been awake and it's never been as bad as this"

"This has happened before?" Whale sounded surprised

"He's had nightmares before but was always aware of what was going on once he was awake, this is new to me, altough my Dad did say that he had a pretty bad nightmare the other night that took him a while to get over, I didn't know it could be as bad as this" Emma couldn't help it when her own breathing hitched as she spoke.

"It's OK Miss Swan, he is experiencing a panic attack, it often looks much worse than it actually is" he said gently

He worked quickly as he spoke, eyes darting around the room and finally settling on the paper bag on Hook's bedside table emblazened with "Granny's Diner" that held the empty boxes from her dinner. He came around to her side of the bed and grabbed the bag, emptying the contents out without much thought of where they were going.

"This may look a bit odd but believe it or not it's the best thing" he gave her a nod as he returned to her Pirate.

Emma watched as Whale held the bag over Hook's mouth, the bag began to puff in and out with every breath he gave.

"When a person has a panic attack they can hyperventilate, this causes too much oxygen to get into their system causing all sorts of problems, the easiest solution is to make them recirculate their own breath, this causes their exhaled carbondioxide to flow back through their own system reducing their oxygen levels, it usually works quite quickly, he will be fine Miss Swan."

Emma watched as Hook's chest still puffed in and out frantically but after a few minutes Whale was right, his breathing started to slow and finally after another few minutes he started to give long blinks as he finally came back to reality. After what felt like hours he was finally calm and settled on the bed but Emma was disappointed, he was sleeping and she had not even had the chance to speak to him before he left her.

"He will most probably sleep through the night but do not be surprised if he wakes again with another nightmare. Panic attacks can come on at anytime and for no reason but they do tend to cluster, if that does happen hit the call button but remain calm, get him to take deep breaths into the bag and someone will be in as quickly as possible. He will probably feel drained tomorrow, it is not a pleasant experience and can leave the patient feeling very tired for many hours after." Whale looked at her concerned "Miss Swan, I suggest you get some rest yourself. I know it is hard to see but you did great and he will be fine."

Soon she was left alone in the room once more, she realized that the iPad was still playing the movie as she heard the title music, it had fallen onto the floor in the commotion. She bent down and picked it up, yeah, no more Indianna Jones for her Mr Jones, from now on she was sticking to movies nothing more exciting than blue genies and flying rugs!

 **P.S. My spell checker seems to be broken so I do apologise if my spelling is terrible, as a dislexic I rely quite heavily on it and I am annoyed that it is not working. #Grrr**

 **It also seems that there was an issue with my original upload of this chapter, I hope this one is better, there was no spacing in it the first time so was just one giant block of writing lol**


	43. Chapter 43

**So after having to un-install many programs then re install them into my laptop I finally seem to have sorted out the issue with my spell checker and wot not... it was not a good situation, at one point earlier on I thought I was going to have to retype this morning's chapter! All sorted now though so on we go.**

 **Poor Hook, panic attacks are not a nice thing. They are not a sign of weakness as many people think, they can arise for many many reasons and without warning leaving the person incapacitated until they pass and tired and drained after. I am just glad he has his Swan by his side to help him through... or does he?**

Emma slept badly, she was on tenterhooks all night waiting on Hook wakening from another bad dream but much to her relief he slept straight through. Her relief was short lived, as Whale had predicted he was not his usually bright self, his movements were quite uncoordinated as a result of his tiredness which led him to dropping a full cup of water down his front, the cup was thrown across the room seconds later.

Emma sighed "Hey, it's OK" she soothed as his face fell into a scowl to rival Leroy.

She bent down and picked up the cup but when she turned back around he had turned his head away from her. She made her way back to the bed.

"You OK? You want to talk about it?" she asked softly

He didn't look at her, he just kept staring at the door, she reached forward and took hold of his arm but to her shock he pulled away.

"Hook?" Trying not to let the hurt show in her voice.

He pulled his blankets up around his shoulders and closed his eyes.

"Hook don't do this... Please don't do this"

His eyes remained closed.

"This is unfair Hook, this is not my fault" all she wanted to do was help him, why was he doing this?

He just turned his head further into his pillows clearly not wanting to talk to her. Emma was hurt, after everything they had been through, now he was cutting her out. Anger built up inside her, all her frustrations from the last few weeks bubbling to the surface, she was so tired right now from all her worrying last night that when he finally turned slightly on the bed so that his back was too her it was too much.

"Fine, you don't want to talk to me that's fine, don't. If you don't need me I'm just gonna go. I have been stuck in this room for weeks now. You think this is hard for you? Try putting yourself in my shoes, I sat through it all, on more than one occasion I thought I was going to lose you. I've not spent quality time with my Son in so long that I swear that whenever I do see him he looks like he's sprouted another few inches. I've not seen my Mom or Dad for more than a few hours at a time and I miss putting my baby Brother to bed. I may not have been physically hurt that night but my life changed just as much as yours. You are just being selfish now and I have had enough, you want to sulk, FINE, but you're doing it by yourself"

She was crying hard by the time she had finished yelling, she was beyond caring now as he finally turned to look at her, a look of total anguish on his face but right now she just couldn't deal with it anymore, she marched to the door and yanked it open, giving him one final glare before she went.

"I'm done" she yelled as she finally stepped through.

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"EMMA!" Snow shouted out down the corridor as the Charmings watched their daughter running from Hook's room shouting something as she went, she didn't stop, she just kept going in the opposite direction from where they stood in shock.

"What's that idiot done now?" David muttered giving Henry a meaningful look.

He extended his hand out to Snow to take the infant seat with their Son in it from her.

"You go after her, we'll deal with him" he grit out.

Snow ran off after Emma, David shook his head and sighed as he pushed through Hook's door but the sight that greeted him had him handing his sleeping Son to Henry and sprinting across the room.

"HOOK... what the hell do you think you're doing?" he yelled

The damned Pirate was standing next to his bed, leaning heavily on the wheeled table, a look of devastation on his face. What the hell had happened? David tried to wrestle Hook back on to the bed but he was being stubborn, he kept making grunting noises as he fought to stay upright.

"Hook for Gods sake will you just sit back down, whatever has happened we can fix it but you hurting yourself is not going to help anyone"

Hook continued to struggle

"Killian please" Henry's voice pierced the room

At these words the Pirate sagged into David's arms, breathing heavily and clearly in pain. David made the decision to sit him down on the recliner chair, it was much closer and he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep him upright. Hook slumped back and screwed his face up obviously trying to bring his pain back under control. His eyes popped open and he tried to reach for his iPad that was on his bedside table but he moved too quickly and hissed through his teeth and gripped his ribs bending over slightly and whimpering.

"Idiot" David huffed as he picked up the iPad and turned it on.

Hook straightened himself up on the chair and watched him as he opened up the writing app then handed the iPad over. He typed quickly.

"You need to find her, you need to bring her back. I need to tell her I am sorry"

"Snow has gone after her, she'll be fine. Are you going to tell me what you did?" David asked

He watched as Hook obviously fought a battle in his head, he glanced over at Henry who had sat himself down at Emma's desk. David could see Hook's breathing picking up and knew he needed to act fast. He dropped down into a crouch in front of the Pirate and whispered.

"Hey, it's OK. Whatever happened, it can be fixed. Come on take some deep breaths"

He watched as Hook took some long shuddering breaths trying to remain in control. He took a few minutes before he typed again.

"I am an idiot"

"Well you know I won't argue there" David chuckled

Hook's eyes came up to meet his and the laughter died on his lips, the man looked broken.

"Come on Pirate spill, you need to tell someone it might as well be me" he stood up and grabbed another chair then sat down facing his friend.

Hook sighed, he looked nervous.

"You can trust me, you know that right?" David tried his best to look trustworthy.

Hook gave him a long look then nodded, their eyes met briefly in a look of understanding before he returned to his iPad once more. This time when he typed he didn't stop, David left him to finish not wanting to interrupt his flow, he looked across at Henry who had started typing himself, using Emma's computer to go online, obviously trying to give Hook space to talk to David. Eventually the Pirate handed over the iPad to him, sat back and closed his eyes while sucking in deep calming breaths. David gave him a look of concern, he looked awful, this was not what he needed after the events of last night, David knew he needed to get this sorted so he looked down quickly and read what Hook had typed out.

"I messed up. I do not know if you are aware but I had, what Whale called a panicked attack last night. It was the most terrifying experience I have had in my life, much worse than the other night when you were there after I awoke from my dream. I could not breath, even though I was awake I could not see anything in this room, I was stuck in my mind. That damn hellion's voice was going round and round in my head. The worst part of it is that I cannot fully remember what happened that night, I only remember small parts of it but those parts just keep playing over and over in my thoughts. I try not to think about it but his voice is always there waiting for my defenses to slip and before I know it he is in the forefront of my mind taking over. After last night my mind is very muddled and my limbs do not want to work how I wish them to today, Whale said that it was to be expected but I managed to drop my cup of water down myself, in my frustration I threw the cup against the wall. Emma tried to get me to talk to her but I knew that I couldn't, Devin's voice was there, it still is... I can hear him taunting me all the time so I didn't want to talk, not just then, I didn't want him to take control again I should be strong enough to stop this from happening but I ashamed to say I am not. I thought that if I ignored Emma that she would just give in and leave me alone but I was wrong, I should have let her help me, I should have talked to her, she deserves so much more than this. She is right, I am selfish and I took her for granted, she has given up so much for me and I was too busy thinking about myself to notice."

David tried to take it all in, he didn't know that the voices were in Hook's head all the time. He looked up to see the Pirate still sitting with his eyes shut, his left foot was tapping frantically on the floor.

"Hey" he said quietly

Hooks eyes opened and he looked at David with such a look of shame that David's heart lurched in sympathy.

"Look, you have done many things in your life to be ashamed of, THIS is not one of them, do you hear me? Emma will understand, I can speak to her for you if you want. This is new for all of us, we are all trying to find ways to deal with all of this, it is hard for everyone but nobody else went through what you went through that night and nobody else can deal with it except you. You need to accept that this did happen and you may never remember it fully and that in itself is OK." he paused to make sure Hook was getting the gravity of what he was saying.

"It is also not about being strong enough to stop anything from happening, it is about learning how to deal with it if it does. Anyone who had went through what you did would be reacting EXCATLY the same way, no matter who they were. You are not alone in having nightmares Hook, I too have had a fair few since that night, the image of you hanging from that tree is stuck in my head twenty four seven, I thought you were dead, I cried for you as I stood there and watched you swinging by your God damn neck, I don't think I'll ever get over it, I just need to learn how to deal with it so that I can move on."

Hook looked stunned, if his jaw wasn't wired shut David was pretty sure that his mouth would have been hanging open.

"I will add this though, if you ever tell anybody that I cried over you I will hunt you down and gut you where you stand, are we clear? " David said with conviction

Gradually Hook smiled, just a little smile but it was there on his face to be seen.

"Do you want me to go find Emma and explain?"

Hook looked torn but then a determined look appeared on his face and he gave a definite nod.

"Great" he stood up clapping his hand on Hook's knee "Henry, stay here with Hook. Neal will be fine for a while yet, I should only be a few minutes"

"No problem Grandpa" Henry smiled up at him

David ruffled the boy's hair as he went past and out the door, he needed to find his family and get this sorted ASAP.


	44. Chapter 44

**So will Emma forgive the stubborn arse that is Killian Jones? More importantly what is Henry doing on that computer?!**

Hook sat in the chair with his eyes clamped shut and head hung low, his heart was beating rapidly against his chest again, he could hear Devin's voice taunting him. He tried to pull in a breath but his chest hitched...no, this couldn't be happening, not again. He sat up straight and pulled in a deeper breath and tried to hold it as long as possible before it rattled from his chest. His eyes were still closed so he jumped in surprise when someone touched his arm, eyes flying open he quickly realized that it was Henry. He tried to give the lad a smile but wasn't sure who he was trying to convince that he was OK, himself or the boy.

"It's OK." Henry soothed "I know what happened, I heard Grandpa telling Grandma this morning."

Gods, even the Lad knew that he was about to lose it, his breathing picked up another notch.

* Captain needs taught a lesson boys. *

He tried to keep his eyes open and focus on Henry but he could feel the room starting to slip away and he found himself clamping them closed once more.

* Grab the rope *

Henry's hands taking hold of either side of his face and turning his head to face him still was not enough to get him to open them again as he concentrated on trying to steady his breathing.

* Get up you filthy Pirate *

"Killian... you need to think of something else." Henry's voice was loud in his ear. "Think about something good, anything good... Killian you need to find your happy thoughts. THINK come one. Thoughts that make you smile whenever you think of them, Killian THINK"

And just like that Killian's mind switched to Neverland, he was standing with Emma, his heart was beating fast but for an entirely different reason, she moved quickly grabbing his lapels and pulled him in to a searing kiss. He concentrated hard, his mind switched again to a dark night on the beach, he was standing with Henry explaining how his sextant worked, the Lad was grinning at him like and idiot and he felt happy, the Lad reminded him so much of Bae when he was a boy. He could still hear Henry speaking in the room.

"That's it. You've got it, don't let the bad thoughts take over. There are so many other GOOD ones out there, it's nearly Christmas Killian, you are going to be at home with us for Christmas. We are going to get a HUGE tree and decorate it with lights so bright that everyone will be able to see them from the docks, think of that, come on, picture it in your head." Henry's voice was full of wonder.

Killian's mind switched again as he pictured what Henry had been describing to him in his head, he opened his eyes to be greeted by Henry's smiling face.

"Hi" was all he said as Killian finally managed to get himself back under control.

Killian smiled back, he was tired and sore, his ribs were throbbing from all the work that his chest had been doing but he was genuinely happy, Henry had got through to him, had given him something else to concentrate on, something that took the voice away.

He realized that he had been gripping his iPad tightly in his hand as he tried to move it, his sore fingers protesting the move drawing a wince from his throat.

"You OK?" Henry's voice was full of concern

He opened up his app and typed.

"Aye Lad, I am quite alright now. Thank you for your assistance. How did you know what to do?"

"I looked it up on the internet" he waved over his shoulder to Emma's computer "There are loads of things on there that can help"

Killian was in awe at the boy that sat in front of him, he had done research to help him, the Lad truly was a wonder.

"I've got something else for you but I need your iPad" the boy put out his hand

Killian gripped the iPad tighter in his hand, he needed it, Emma would be back any minute and he would need it to talk to her.

"It's OK, I only need it for like five minutes" Henry reassured brightly but Killian was still unsure.

"Do you trust me?" Henry asked raising his eyebrows.

Killian's hands were moving before his brain engaged, he shoved the iPad into the Lad's hands, of course he trusted him, why had he been hesitating? Henry beamed widely.

"I'll just be a few minutes, I promise" he jumped up and ran across the room to Emma's desk.

As it turned out when Emma had returned minutes later he hadn't needed the iPad anyway, she came through the doors and as soon as their eyes met she was in tears running into his arms and hugging him tightly.

"I'm so sorry Hook, I didn't know" was all she said as she ran her hand up and down his back.

They stayed like that for a while but it was becoming more and more awkward as the minutes passed. Eventually Emma stood up and looked him in the face.

"I want you to promise me now, no more secrets, if you have a bad dream or you hear the voices in your head you need to talk to me, please don't try and keep me out, I'm a big girl, I can handle it" she raised an eyebrow at the last four words and he couldn't help but smirk as he read between the line.

He nodded his head in agreement and drew a cross over his heart as a promise.

"Where's your iPad?" Emma asked while looking over to the bed.

"I've got it Mom, I will literally be like two minutes more. I think Killian needs to get back in bed he was in a bit of pain before, by the time you guys have done that I'll be done" he looked over his shoulder as he continued to work to make sure that that was OK

"Sure thing Kid, no problem. What ya doing over there anyway?" She asked while craning her neck to try and see.

"Just wait, you'll see" Henry replied grinning widely

Emma and David worked together quickly to get Killian back in his bed, he was very tired and ached terribly and the worst thing was that he hadn't even had his physio for the day yet, how was he going to manage that too. He practically melted back into his pillows once he was back under the covers but he felt Emma scoot herself onto the side of his bed and she took hold of his hand. He lifted her hand up and held it in his tight grip to his chest right above his heart and tried to give her his best "Sorry" look, she obviously knew what he was trying to say because she gave his hand a squeeze and said.

"I know, it's OK, let's just move on, I don't want to keep going over the same things. We've made a promise and we will both stick to it, right?"

He nodded his head and gave her the best smile he could manage.

"Good, well that's done then, no more secrets" she smiled right back at him.

"Finished "Henry proclaimed "Killian you are so gonna LOVE this, I hope you weren't kidding me when you said that you were excited for Christmas this year" he gave a chuckle as he settled the iPad onto the pillow on Killian's lap.

"Here, I put some music on it for you. When I was on the internet earlier it said one of the things that can help people deal with panic or anxiety attacks was to listen to music, especially happy upbeat music so I logged on to Mom's iTunes account and added her entire Christmas play list on here for you. There are old songs, new songs, classical songs and even some sung by choirs but it is AWESOME, me and Mom made it up when we were in New York"

Henry hit the play button and "All alone on Christmas" blasted out into the quiet room.

"Oh, I love this one!" Emma's eyes went wide and she looked at Henry

"Home Alone 2" they both cried in unison then laughed

Killian had no clue what they were talking about but he smiled widely as he watched Mother and Son start to dance around his room laughing and singing along.

Snow stood bouncing Neal in her arms as the baby gurgled and laughed right along with his Sister and Uncle. David stood by Killian's side, his arms crossed over his chest but a huge grin on his face. Killian listened to the music and watched his family around him, this "Christmas" festival thing truly was a wonder. The first song finished and another started straight after, it was a little slower but had Snow joining in with the singing, these songs really did bring people together and bring happiness and joy. Killian relaxed back into his pillows and let the warmth in the room start to take over, he closed his eyes and listened as Emma and Henry continued to sing along, yes Christmas would be the thing to concentrate on, that and his family who would be right there by his side.


	45. Chapter 45

**Are things finally going to get better for the Pirate? Well with Henry's help he seems to be making process with his panic attacks, let's just hope that nothing else goes wrong... who am I kidding? Of course something else is going to go wrong!**

Over the last few days with the help of Henry's music Hook hadn't had any more panic attacks, Emma wasn't taking anything for granted but the signs were looking positive. David had brought Hook in a pair of head phones, the kind that covered his ears instead of going inside them, they were easier for him to managed to put on and off by himself with his sore fingers making it difficult to do fiddly tasks.

She watched as he lay back on his bed headphones in place, his fingers tapped on the bed. She had no idea what he was listening to but it seemed to have a good beat. She knew he was nervous, today was the day that he finally, FINALLY got his jaw wires off, well hopefully. They were going to remove his stitches and cast too... this was the beginning of the end, he was one step closer to going home.

She smiled to herself as his tapping fingers picked up speed and he was pushing air out through his teeth in time to the song. He was an idiot, but he was her idiot. He peeked his eye open at her and split into a wide grin as he realized she was watching him. He took his iPad up into his hand and typed.

"What are you grinning at?" he pulled his headphones off as she read.

"Nothing, it's just nice to see you so relaxed"

He grinned wider and typed again.

"I am aren't I? Henry's music helps, I cannot help but be happy when I listen to it"

He looked nervous for a minute then typed again a slight blush showing on his cheeks.

"It helps to keep the voice away"

"That's what it's supposed to do, there's no need to be embarrassed about it, I understand" she gave him a warm smile.

"What you listening to anyway?" she asked curiously

"I have no idea but it is most enjoyable" he typed then pulled the headphones out of their socket to allow the music to play into the room. Emma burst out laughing as she immediately recognized "What's This?" by Fall Out Boy, from a Nightmare Before Christmas.

"This song is AMAZING!" she said throwing her hands into the air in joy "This is from another movie that I will show you soon. Henry's made a list of Christmas movies that he will put on your iPad so we can watch one a night until you get home"

Hook grinned at her and typed

"I would like that very much"

The song was just finishing when the door opened and Whale walked in.

"You ready to go?" he asked her Pirate.

Killian sucked in a deep breath but nodded while grinning widely.

"Great, we are going to give you a small amount of sedation...put you to sleep for a short time when we get you down there" he added at Hook's confused look. "we'll carry out your x-rays first and if everything is alright we'll get your wire off then your cast will be removed next, I'll also get your sutures removed too as the wound looks good. If everything goes well we will have you in that pool tomorrow working you harder than you have worked in a very long time" Whale gave an encouraging look as the orderlies started to maneuver the bed away from the wall.

Emma stepped up to Hook's side, she bent over and gave him a kiss fully on his lips and as she lent in to give him a hug she whispered into his ear.

"That tongue of yours better get ready for some exercise all of it's own" she looked innocently at him as she stepped back, his face was a picture as she watched him being wheeled out the door.

She chuckled to herself as the doors swung closed. She headed to her desk, checked her emails and such but realized quite quickly that there was little for her to do. She turned around and sat on the edge of her desk looking out into the room. The blinds were pulled back allowing the sun to beam across the floor, it was a bright crisp sunny day and she suddenly had the urge to go outside. She made a snap decision, Hook would be away for a while and she hadn't been outside in such a long time that she took a jumper and threw in over her head before she grabbed her leather jacket and headed out the door towards the outside world.

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David pulled his police cruiser up into the parking lot a little after ten, Hook would be back in his room shortly and he wanted to see how he was getting on with his newly freed jaw. He was just walking up to the entrance with coffee and muffins for himself and Emma when he spotted her sitting on a bench a little further down the path facing towards the large flower beds, the beds were bare but he supposed that she couldn't help what way the bench faced. He made his way over.

"Hey, what you doing out here? It's freezing" he asked as he sat down next to her

"I know but it just makes a nice change from being in there" she replied accepting the food with a grateful smile.

"I can imagine it gets quite claustrophobic in there" he said grimly

"You have no idea!" she said as she took a large bite of her muffin.

"What time's he due back up?"

"Not sure, can't be too much longer though, he's been gone a while but they were having to do x-rays too so your guess is as good as mine" she replied, she held her coffee cup in her hands to get some heat from it.

"You want to head inside?" he asked Emma with concern, she looked really cold.

"In a minute. Where's Mom?" Emma finally took a sip from the coffee cup

"She was dropping Henry at school, he missed his bus. She has probably got chatting to someone, I think she misses the place. I'm sure she'll be back teaching before she knows it, once Neal is old enough to go into day care she'll be itching to go back but right now she wants to spend time with him."

"That's understandable" she smiled at him then suddenly stood up "Right, let's go before I freeze my ass off"

They both laughed as they started walking towards the main doors but a sudden smashing sound to their left had them both turning to stare out in to the parking lot. There by the Police Cruiser was Devin and Jensen, David didn't think that they'd seen him and Emma as they didn't seem to be in much of a hurry to leave. Jensen moved slightly and David couldn't see what he was doing but before he could figure it out he watched in horror as the Lost One raised a golf club above his head and smashed it down on the cruiser's windshield.

"HEY" David and Emma both yelled simultaneously, taking off at a run as the boys suddenly looked up and realized that they had been caught. The golf club was abandoned as the boys ran off down the hill and off down one of the tracks that branched off into the woods. David thundered after them, he could hear Emma hot on his heals. They were running hard but David had lost sight of the Lost Ones the minute that they had entered the trees, he skidded to a halt a minute later when the path split into two right by a huge fallen tree. What way did they go?

"DAMN IT" he yelled

"Dad this is simple, I am not giving up just yet. You go that way, I'm going this way" Emma puffed out

"We shouldn't split up Emma, it's too dangerous" he wouldn't put her in danger

"Dad believe me when I say they are in more danger from me right now, I have my magic and I am not afraid to use it. You have your gun, we'll both be fine."

He was skeptical but also didn't want to lose the boys.

"Fine but we only go for ten minutes, if you don't see anything you turn back around and we will meet back at Hook's room. If you do see ANYTHING you call me on my cell, you do NOT approach those boys alone, we clear?"

He watched as his daughter gave a curt nod then headed down the path to her right, he didn't like this one little bit but he turned and headed down the path to his left determined to give it a shot.

Little did either of the pair know that minutes after they had gone their separate ways the two Lost Ones that they were searching for emerged from behind the fallen tree.

"Well, that worked like a charm. Now, I think it's time to pay the good Captain a visit" Devin said as an evil grin spread over his face.

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Emma jogged along her path, those little shits were going to get what was coming to them. As the trees began to thin out she realized that her path was leading her to the west side of town, she slowed to a walk as she emerged at the back of the bakery and grocery store, the small path going down between the two buildings to come out onto main street. She proceeded with caution, aware that the boys could be hiding anywhere but as she finally walked out on to the street it became obvious that they were not about. Either they hadn't come this way or she had lost them. She cursed to herself as she turned around and started heading back the way she had come.

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David ran for his ten minutes but he knew that the boys had not come this way, he made the decision to head back to the hospital. As he made his way back up the path he heard a noise in the trees, he stilled and tried to conceal himself the best he could against some foliage. The noise was getting louder, he took a deep breath and jumped out from his hiding spot to be met by... Ruby"

"DAVID!" she yelled then thumped him on the arm in anger "What the hell?"

"Sorry Ruby, I thought you were one of the Lost Ones, they just put a golf club through my police cruiser windshield and myself and Emma chased after them but the path split sooooo." he raised his hands in mock surrender

"You split up, are you crazy?" Ruby practically chocked out

"Yeah, I know, not very wise. I'm heading back now anyway and Emma should be doing the same as I've not had a call to say she found them. What are you doing here anyway?" he asked the wolf

"Mushrooms" was all she said but raised her small basket up to show him "I'll walk you back"

She raised her head slightly and made a sniffing noise, he didn't think he'd ever get used to that.

"They didn't come this way and I haven't smelt them the whole time I've been out, come on, it's freezing and this is just the perfect excuse for me to finish early" she gave him a wide grin and took off up the path towards the hospital.

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Whale stood by Killian's bedside as the orderlies situated the bed back in it's spot.

"I suggest you get some rest Hook, do not go opening and closing your mouth too much, it will probably be quite painful for a while yet and will definitely be quite fragile." he gave a warning look then left the room.

Hook couldn't help it, he had to try. He slowly pulled his teeth apart, it hurt, a lot but also felt so good to be able to take in big breaths with out anything impeding him. He gently closed his mouth and smiled as he lent back on his pillow. The sedative they had given him was still making him quite sleepy and without thinking he gave a yawn, in seconds he realized that that was an experience he did not want to repeat as a searing pain streaked across his face, his hand automatically coming up and trying to cup his jaw closed, Gods above, that had hurt.

He settled himself back and moved to pick up his iPad to turn on his music but it was not in it's usual spot, he was confused for a second as he looked around all the surfaces near by and couldn't see it anywhere.

"Lost something?"

The voice from his nightmares pierced his thoughts and his mind froze. Devin casually walked through the open bathroom door followed by Jensen.

"What? You didn't think that we wouldn't visit did you?"

Devin lifted his iPad into the air

"This is a handy thing you've got here, I heard all about how St. Henry gave it to you, allowing you to speak again. I much prefer it when you remain quiet." with that he threw the iPad to the floor and stomped his foot into the screen, smashing it into tiny pieces.

"This is going to be too easy... I never knew that we had failed in our first attempt at killing you until Henry told us about it by the river that day. That is a mistake that he'll have to live with. We would have been gone weeks ago but once I found out that you were still alive I just had to make sure we finished the job"

Jensen stepped out from behind Devin wearing a grin as equally sinister as Devin's, he raised a golf club up and rested it against his own shoulder.

"Let's see if you've still got any fight in you, I still owe you for the hook in my leg" Devin sneered.

Killian sat frozen on the bed, heart racing and brain coming up with nothing, the drugs in his system were doing him no favors as he tried to think of something, anything he could do to help his situation. He was in trouble and he knew it.

 **I know... cliffy ahoy.**

 **I'd say I'm sorry but I'm not, I planned it this way :D**

 **If you leave me lots of reviews overnight I might do another chapter in the morning... if not it will be tomorrow evening. * Laughs maniacally ***

 **Night Night**


	46. Chapter 46

**So as promised here is the next installment... I hope you all enjoy this :D**

David and Ruby made their way back up through the parking lot, David let out a curse as his police cruiser came into sight. Yes, the windshield was broken but he was now looking at the reason for the first smashing noise that he had heard earlier, the driver side window was out too, the inside of the car was filled with little cubes of glass, great!

"WOW... they sure did a number on this" Ruby said while walking around the side of the car to stand next to him.

"You're not wrong there Rubes, you're not wrong there!" he sighed out

A gasp behind them had them both turning around to see Mary-Margaret pushing Neal in his stroller and Rufio walking towards them, David could see his truck parked further down the hill behind them.

"What happened?" Mary-Margaret sounded worried

"The Lost Ones that's what, they took off into the woods but we lost them!"

"No... those boys need to be caught David"

"I know and they will, we just need to find them first" he replied in frustration.

"I can help you track them if you like?" Rufio added helpfully.

"THAT is a great idea. Ruby would you mind staying with Mary-Margaret while we go see if we can pick up a trail?"

"Of course not, if it means less time looking for mushrooms when clearly it's too cold for them I'm all for it." she grinned widely

David lent over and gave Snow a peck on the cheek.

"Hopefully we'll not be long. I'll give Emma a call and let her know what's going on, I thought she would have been back here already, maybe she's back with her Pirate already. Go see how he is getting on with his new found freedom and we'll be back soon"

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Bravado... that's what he needed. Yes his heart was hammering on his ribs and he knew he couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag right now but those idiots didn't know that. Killian's eyes fell onto his broken iPad and rage surged through him once more, the taunting voice of Devin was no longer in his head instead he could hear Henry.

"Don't let them get to you, I know you can do this. You've got this Killian, I believe in you"

Killian smiled wide and for a second Devin's own grin faltered.

"Why are you smiling? What's so funny?" the boy eyed him with suspicion as he stopped on the spot.

Jensen had walked around to the other side of Killian's bed but he was of no consequence, Devin was the leader, if he could deal with him Jensen would be easy. Killian's mind raced as he tried to formulate a plan.

He moved quickly, throwing the blankets from his legs and swinging round to sit on the edge of his bed, smile still as wide as he could possibly make it, his body was protesting the movements but only he knew that, leaning forward and grabbing his hook off the table next to his bed he stood, tall and strong. Devin's face fell, he was scared... maybe he could pull this off after all. He had one last trick that he just hoped he could pull off. He spread his arms wide and spoke his first words in over a month.

"Com... a'ead, do y'r w'rst"

His voice was rough and disappeared in places but Devin got the idea and for a few seconds it seemed to work, the boy was torn, obviously not knowing how to proceed. He stood eyeing the pirate suspiciously then the grin was back on his face and his hand moved around his back, up and under his jacket, Killian readied himself, he knew that's where the boys kept their short blades, he would need to move fast and he just hoped that he could keep a strong enough grip on his hook to counter the attack. Jensen's voice in the room brought them both back to Earth.

"They're coming , I can see the Sheriff and the wolf girl talking to the Snow woman and Rufio and they are coming this way, we need to go" He said while pointing out the window.

Killian grinned wider and gave a little bow knowing that the boys would have no other choice but to go. He watched as Devin's face changed, he looked like he was trying to figure something out then like he was struck by a sudden thought, his smile was back.

"You seem to have missed a point there Captain, did you not notice who was missing from that group outside?"

Killian froze mind racing, Emma, he hadn't said Emma's name. Devin pulled out his blade and held it casually in front of him, picking at the top of the sharp point with his thumb.

"Do you know how long we had to hide in that bathroom until you came back? It was quite exciting you know, not knowing if we were going to be caught or not. Imagine our surprise when the first person to come into the room was not the pirate we were waiting for rather his Swan girl."

He paused here and looked Killian right in the eyes. Killian's bravado had disappeared, what had they done to Emma? Where was she? His eyes flew around the room for any sign of her. Then Devin spoke and Killian's world disappeared

"She was quite shocked to find us here, we had to pull her into there" he pointed at the bathroom then continued, "she struggled quite a bit and made one hell of a noise... until I stuck my blade in her gut."

No no no... this couldn't be happening

"Yeah, she made different noises after that... she was still making them when you arrived, not so sure she's making then now though. I guess the only way you'll find out is to go in there and find out for yourself" he gave his most feral grin yet.

Killian threw himself forward, striking out on his own two feet for the first time in weeks, he made exactly three paces before his leg gave out and he tumbled to the floor, head bouncing on the hard surface as he fell. He never had time to recover before he felt a knee in his back.

"You are pathetic, you filthy Pirate"

The voice in his ear was too much, it set of a chain reaction in his mind as a cacophony of memories flooded back. Memory after memory hit him like a physical blow, he was lying in the damp grass, he could actually smell it in the room. He could see Rapha's scared face looking at him. He was trying to get the boy away, trying to make sure he was safe. He was surrounded by Lost Ones and they were beating him with anything they could find and he couldn't get away. There was a rope...The voice was back in his head, Henry's strong voice had left him and he couldn't picture Emma any other way than how Devin had just described her seconds ago. His breathing was ragged now as he tried to claw himself across the floor and blood was pouring down his face from a new cut just above his right eye.

"Sw...n" he croaked out

"Oh this is so much better than killing you Hook, so much better, the fact that you will have to live the rest of your life knowing that you have now failed TWO women that you loved is just too good" Devin's gleeful voice sounded somewhere above him but he couldn't tell where it was, it sounded just the same as the one in his head that was taking over and no matter what he tried he couldn't make it stop. A kick to the ribs had him flipping over on to his back unable to think, the pain both physical and mental now, he had lost all track of his mission, just trying to breath was taking up all his focus.

"See you around Captain... might even be at her funeral if you don't hurry up" Devin yelled as the two boys finally left the room.

Swan... he had to get to Emma. Focus returned with Devin's final words. He had to try, he had to save her but he couldn't move, the pain in his side was getting worse, he tried to suck in a breath and his chest hitched. NO... not again, please not again... not now!

 **I know, I am evil but this is how I am leaving it until tonight. Will Emma survive?**


	47. Chapter 47

**Yes yes yes, I know... I am evil but you all love it so you can thank me later :P**

 **Here's a cheeky wee chapter as a late afternoon treat seeing as I had a bit of spare time between jobs.**

 **P.S. You didn't think I'd really hurt Emma did you? I wouldn't do that to poor Hook, that would have been one step too far, I suppose someone should really have told him that though! Oops :D**

Emma cursed as she slipped on yet another bit of ice on the path as she made her way back towards the hospital, damn it was cold. She tugged her jacket up at the neck, she didn't even have a hat or scarf on and with no gloves on her hands her fingers felt like they would snap off if she bent them too far.

Her cell started ringing in her pocket and she fumbled to get her frozen digits to work enough to unlock the screen as she saw her Dad's name appear.

"Hey Dad, any luck?"

"None, I've got Rufio with me now though. I met him in the parking lot with your Mom, he's gonna help me track them. We're heading down to the branch in the trail where we lost them . Where are you?" He was slightly out of breath, must be jogging.

"I'm just about there, I can see you through the trees" she waved her hand in the air to get his attention.

"I see you, talk in a sec" he said as he disconnected the call.

She stood for a few seconds until they arrived, stamping her feet trying to get some heat back into her legs. Her Dad and Rufio jogged up greeting her with smiles, Rufio immediately dropped down into a crouch and started examining the ground, then moved off towards the fallen tree.

"Did you see any sign of them at all down that way?" Her Dad asked her

"Nope, not a thing" she replied, "You?"

"No, they must have gone off the track!" he said shrugging.

"They did" Rufio's voice sounded from behind the tree

Emma and David walked around to see Rufio down on one knee, he pointed at the many footprints that were clear to see on the ground. Damn it, they had been right behind the damn tree when her and her Dad had stopped there earlier.

"They stood here then headed back off up the hill" Rufio said whilst standing back up.

"Shit, they doubled back on us" Emma huffed out "Probably heading to the far side of town hoping that we would be searching this end! Do you think you'll be able to track them once we leave the dirt trails?" she turned to Rufio.

"I can try" he gave her his best encouraging look

"Let's go then" David grit out "The sooner we can get this done, the warmer I'll be"

Emma chuckled at his grumpiness, he always did hate the cold. They made their way back up the path following Rufio as he stopped and started every few feet obviously looking for signs that the boys had gone this way. They walked for five minutes but it became clear once they hit the asphalt that there was no way to track them anymore.

"Sorry, I've lost them" Rufio looked annoyed.

"Hey, it's OK. It's not your fault. Come on lets go and see that Pirate of mine and fill him in on all the latest" Emma put her hand on Rufio's arm in a comforting motion, she could see that he was frustrated at his inability to track the boys.

He smiled at her sweetly and was just about to speak when David's arm flew between them, jiggling up and down obviously trying to get their attention.

"Shhhhhh... They're over there" he hissed

Emma looked over and could see the two remaining Lost Ones walking down the parking lot, both were talking in excited voices and grinning from ear to ear... what had they been up to?

"Right, those two are not getting away again. We need to wait until they reach the tree line then make our move, got it?" David's voice was low and full of conviction.

Emma and Rufio nodded in unison. The plan was simple but ended up looking like something from a three stooges movies when David and Rufio jumped out on the surprised boys, they didn't back down without a fight and a brawl ensued. Emma tried to wade in but ended up falling on to the pile of bodies on the ground as she hit another patch of ice. They lay in a heap as the Lost Ones took to their heals sprinting in the direction of town.

The three heroes were up and chasing in seconds, there was no way that Emma was going to let them get away again...

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

Ruby chatted in Snow's ear as they walked along the corridor to Hook's room, Snow had missed her friend, they hadn't spent nearly enough time together recently what with one thing and another.

"Do you think he'll be able to eat something?" Ruby asked, voice full of wonder.

"I think they are going to try him on some soup later" Snow grinned back "I'm so glad, the sooner he can start eating by himself the sooner he can get his feeding tube removed and the sooner he can go home. We've started making some changes to the loft, it's a surprise so don't tell Emma but we got him a recliner chair. It's not new, we got it second hand but it is perfect. David thinks that once Hook no longer needs it that he'll be using it... he is obviously wrong"

They both laughed loudly as Ruby pushed the door wide open to allow Snow through with the stroller. Snow smiled at her friend as she walked through but stopped suddenly at the sight before her, Ruby obviously not realizing that she had stopped walked into her back.

"Hey, what's goin..." her question died on her lips

Hook lay on the floor, blood had streaked down his face and was pooling on the floor. He was obviously in the full throws of a panic attack, chest heaving in and out, eyes wide and bulging in his head. He was saying something over and over but Snow couldn't make out what it was. She threw herself down next to him, taking his face in her hands.

"HOOK, oh my goodness, what have you done to yourself?"

She could tell he was beyond any help that she could give so turned to Ruby.

"Go get some help" she yelled but Ruby just stood with her hand on Neal's stroller staring as the Pirate writhed on the floor smearing blood across the tiles.

"RUBY" Snow screamed, it worked. Ruby's eyes locked with hers

"Get help, NOW" Snow got her point over as Ruby turned and ran from the room.

"Hey, Hook come on, you need to calm down" she said this more to calm herself down, the Pirate was clearly not hearing anything she was saying.

"Sw'n... E'ma" he croaked out

It hit Snow like a sledge hammer, he was calling for Emma!

"It's OK, she'll be here soon, it's OK" she tried to sooth him as much as possible but the tears had started to fall down her own face as she watched the man on the floor in front of her, he was trying to claw himself across the floor, paying no mind to the damage he was doing to his already damaged fingers.

"Killian please, you need to lie still, Emma is coming I promise" she blurted out as the door burst open and Victor barged past her followed by a team of nurses.

"HOOK, you need to calm your breathing down" he looked hard at the Pirate before turning to the nearest nurse "He's too far gone, let's get him back on the bed. Someone grab me 20 mg of Propofol NOW."

Snow stood back next to Ruby and watched as the team carefully lifted the Pirate back onto the bed, he gave little resistance obviously not aware of what was happening, his chest lurched in and out and a pronounced gasping noise was coming out of his newly freed mouth. Victor moved quickly injecting the drugs into a vein in Hook's arm before giving him a full check over then moving up to his head.

"Someone pass me a gauze pad" he took it and pressed heavily on the gash above Hook's eye, he turned awkwardly and pulled the paper bag that had been left next to Hook's bed into his other hand.

"Jenny, can you get him to breath into the bag please" he handed the bag over

It seemed to take forever but eventually Hook's breathing calmed down, he was obviously totally unaware of anything going on around him but seemed to be coming back to reality.

"I'm going to need a suture set here" Victor said in a calmer manner to the nearest nurse as he peeled the gauze pad back to have a look at the cut beneath.

"I've given him a small amount of sedative, not even to render him unconscious but enough to relax him to allow his breathing to settle down. Any idea what triggered this attack" he asked as he looked across at Snow and Ruby.

"No, we just found him on the floor. Is he going to be OK?" Ruby asked nervously

"He'll be fine, probably have one hell of a headache when this is over but with the sedative I had to give him he'll probably be out of it for a while. I'll need to put him back on the heart rate monitor and keep a close eye on him, giving a sedative when a head injury has been sustained is not ideal but in this case I had no choice."

Victor worked in silence as he put a neat row of sutures in the large gash above Hook's eyebrow, it had already started to swell and Snow could tell he'd have another black eye. Emma was going to freak, where was she anyway? Snow watched as the team finally stepped back from the bed revealing the Pirate who seemed to be sleeping soundly. Victor made his way across the room and she thought he was going to speak a few words of comfort to her but as he approached Ruby launched herself into his embrace! That was new! Oh, her friend would have some explaining to do when the good Doctor left the room.

Victor excused himself and left just as Neal began to stir in his stroller, Snow bent down to sooth him and after a few pats to his belly he returned to sleep, Snow gave him a soft smile. She was just starting to straighten up again to interrogate Ruby when she noticed something under the end of Hook's bed. Moving forward she realized that it was his iPad, it must have fallen on the floor when he fell. She took it in her hand but could immediately tell that something was not right, it was face down but she could feel something strange on the screen side. She flipped it over in her hands and her heart fell, it was in pieces, a clear dusty footprint embalmed on the screen... What on Earth?

 **Hopefully we will find out what happened with the Lost Ones later on tonight, I can't promise but some lovely reviews my help ;P**


	48. Chapter 48

**Right who else has had enough of those Lost Ones?**

 **Yeah me too, let's get them sorted out shall we?**

David and the others streaked down Main Street, the boys were in sight. He grit his teeth and picked up a gear trying to keep up with Rufio as the younger man ran past the front of Granny's hot on the tail of the Lost Ones. He glanced behind him, Emma was still in sight but obviously spending weeks by Hook's side had not done her fitness any good. She would just need to catch up, he couldn't let Rufio catch up to these boys by himself.

The Lost Ones suddenly veered off to the left and headed past the library towards the waterfront. This was a good thing, if they carried on down this way they would hit the docks and their chances of escape dropped dramatically. David turned the last corner by the cannery and saw both the Lost Ones grind to a halt as they suddenly realized their mistake. David caught up to Rufio as all four stood breathing heavily into the cold winter air.

Devin looked frantically around and in seconds he was bounding up the wharf towards the Jolly Roger, Jensen hot on his heals. Rufio took off first, David was still trying to catch his breath but started after them just as Emma caught up. They could see the boys as they came up to the side of Hook's ship, David grinned, he and Leroy had removed the boarding plank after they discovered the Lost Ones had been squatting there. The boys must have realized that they were going nowhere fast at the same time as he and Emma finally caught up, Devin swung round to face them pulling a short blade out from behind his back.

"Stay back" he yelled

"Don't be stupid Devin" Emma shouted as she bent forward putting her hands on her knees clearly struggling after the run.

"Yeah, come on. There's nowhere for you to go" David added.

David watched as Devin's eyes frantically danced about desperately looking for a way out, he looked over his shoulder and paused, obviously trying to formulate an escape route but there was nowhere to go.

"You can't get away, you might as well just give in now" Emma yelled out again.

"I wouldn't bet on that" Devin gave a smirk and took a deliberate step backwards towards the edge of the wharf grabbing Jensen by the arm as he went.

Jensen looked confused for a moment then started struggling against Devin's grip.

"What are you doing? You know I can't swim, I can't go in there" he screamed, panic in his voice

Devin just grinned wider

"Do or die Jensen, do or die. You either jump with me or you are no longer a Lost One and I think you can guess how that will end" he said raising his blade up in a threatening manner.

"Don't be crazy" David yelled "The water is freezing!"

Devin didn't seem to hear him, he kept pulling on Jensen's arm, the other boy was clearly not in any mood to go with him. Devin paused as he teetered on the edge, gripping Jensen's arm tightly.

"We'll take our chances, we will not be put in one of your jails, I would rather die, so if that is the case so be it"

He suddenly turned and shoved Jensen hard, the boy's face showed a look of pure terror as his arms pinwheeled for a few seconds before he tipped backwards and disappeared over the edge, a large splash sounding as he hit the water. David lurched forward and grabbed out for Devin, he caught hold of the boys arm just as he went over the edge, David slammed down on to his front as the boys weight pulled him downwards, he looked over the edge of the wharf to see Devin dangling from the end of his arm, mere feet above the cold water below.

David heard a splash but was too busy trying to pull Devin back up to safety to see what had caused it, he could hear Rufio shouting out behind him. What was going on? He chose that moment to glance to the water below and his heart leapt into his throat as he saw Emma in the freezing cold water below pulling Jensen back to the steps at the end of the wharf. He was distracted for just a second but it was long enough, a searing pain shot across his arm, he hissed in pain unconsciously pulling his hand back to reveal a large slice in his forearm, there was a huge splash as Devin hit the water and disappeared beneath the surface. David's heart was beating fast in his chest, where was the boy? He gripped his arm in his other hand, still lying flat on the cold ground, eyes trained on the water below but the boy never resurfaced.

Rufio shouting behind him had David struggling to his feet and running over to where the former Lost One was pulling Jensen up the wet steps, he let him drop in a heap as he reached out once more to help Emma out of the water too. Both were soaked through and shivering uncontrollably as they lay panting on the cold stone.

"We need to get them warm" Rufio yelled

David's brain went straight to the Jolly, he was on his feet and running in seconds throwing himself on to Leroy's boat that was moored next to it, they had hidden the boarding plank for the Jolly under a tarp on the deck. He grabbed it quickly and had it in place in minutes. He ran back over, Rufio had managed to sit Emma up but she looked terrible. Jensen was practically unconscious on the ground by now, lips turning blue as his whole body continued to shake in uncontrollable spasms.

David didn't hesitate, he bent down and scooped Emma up into his arms and ran with her, he heard Rufio behind him and knew that he had done the same with the boy.

He barged into Hook's quarters and put Emma down on the bed, Rufio dropped down onto his knees and placed the boy down on the wooden floor.

"Get him out of his wet clothes" David grit out as he started to strip a nearly unconscious Emma of her jeans. He left her underwear on, unwilling to remove that one last piece of wetness from her body but he engulfed her seconds later in Hook's bedding before heading over to one of the cupboards against the far wall. He pretty much knew where everything was from his clean up operation after the Lost Ones had wrecked the room not that long ago. He threw the door open and grabbed a few more blankets, dropping a couple by Rufio as he headed back to Emma's side.

He removed his jacket and jumper even though the room was quite cold, he knew that skin to skin contact was the best method of getting heat back into Emma's body. He unfastened the buttons on his shirt and scooted on to the bed. He unwrapped her from the thick quilt and pulled her bare back against his front, her skin was frigid and stole his breath for a few breaths before he got used to the feeling. He pulled the thick quilt around his back and covered his precious girl completely as she lay against him. He made sure that every part of her was covered then lifted the edge of the quilt up and over his own mouth allowing his hot breath to add heat into her little cocoon. He struggled for a moment to grab his phone, he dialed quickly, he needed to get the pair of them to hospital as soon as possible.

Rufio had moved away from the boy and had started making a fire in the small hearth, obviously desperate to add heat to the room. Once he had finished he moved back to the boy and pulled him closer to the now roaring fire. The room heated quickly and David let out a sigh of relief when Emma finally started to stir in his arms and relaxed a bit more when the EMTs finally came bursting through the door.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

Snow and Ruby sat quietly in Hook's room, the Pirate looked terrible, he still had quite a lot of dried blood on the side of his head and neck, Snow looked down at her own hands, she still had his blood there too. She just sat staring at the sticky red stuff on her hands, it had seeped under her finger nails and dried in what looked like a grotesque french manicure.

She stood abruptly making Ruby jump.

"Sorry" she whispered "I just need to go and wash up, I'll grab some warm water when I'm done and clean him up before Emma gets back, she doesn't need to see that.

Snow wandered wearily into the small bathroom, she was exhausted and it wasn't even lunchtime. She was busying herself washing her hands when she heard her cell ringing out in the other room.

"Ruby can you get that please?" she yelled into the mirror

"Sure" she heard in reply.

She dried her hands once all traces of the blood were gone and grabbed one of the small washcloths from the near by rail. She was just filling a small bowl with some warm water when Ruby came through the door. The bowl of water was dropped into the sink at the look on Ruby's face.

"What? What is it? What's wrong" her mouth going dry in anticipation of the answer.

"It's Emma... Mary-Margaret, you need to get down to the ER"

 **Dun dun dun... see you tomorrow * waves ***


	49. Chapter 49

**Guys guys guys... when will you learn to trust me?**

 **Believe me when I say that there is method in my madness when it comes to Emma taking a dip in the ocean... do not fret my pets, she will be back by Hook's side in no time at all.**

 **I know how much you all love angst so just trust me.**

 **ANGST AHOY...**

 **P.S. I have said before that this fic is slightly AU in the fact that Emma hasn't really got her shit together when it comes to her magic so that is my reasoning for her taking the plunge.**

 **Oh and BTW I love my title of Queen Cliffhanger lol... thanks for that.**

Snow practically threw herself through the treatment room doors as she finally reached the ER, she had left Neal with Ruby and just ran like her life depended on it. She had no idea what she was going to find when she got there she just knew that she needed to be with her family.

The room was large and there were two teams working on either side of the room, Snow's head turned frantically trying to figure out where to go, a nurse walked straight up to her front and blocked her view of the room

"I'm sorry, you can't be in here right now" she said kindly

"It's OK Martha, let her through" Victors disembodied voice carried over from somewhere to her right.

Snow turned, panic was really starting to settle in now, what was going on?

"I am FINE, would you get off me!" Emma's voice carried over to her ears.

That was it, Snow knew where Emma was now and she was moving fast. As she came around the bottom of the gurney the two nurses parted and Emma fell into view.

"You are not fine Miss Swan, your temperature is still quite low and we need to raise it as soon as possible, will you just sit still and let me do my job" Victor sounded mad.

"I need to speak to that boy" Emma pointed to the other side of the room.

"He's not going anywhere any time soon. You'll have plenty of time now will you settle down PLEASE"

"Emma?" Snow's voice sounded small in the big room but Emma heard her.

"I'm fine Mom, honest" Emma gave her her best smile.

She didn't look fine, her hair was a bedraggles mess and she was quite pale looking as she hugged both a silver foil blanket and a blue woolen one around herself.

"What happened?"

"Miss Swan figured out that swimming in freezing temperatures tends not to be the best idea without a wet suit" Victor supplied.

"What?!" Snow was confused.

"Devin and Jensen" Emma pointed to the other bed, Snow could see Jensen lying there, he seemed to be making the better patient right now. "The went into the water at the dock, he couldn't swim so I jumped into get him" she finished simply.

"Emma, it's freezing outside, what were you thinking?" Snow gasped

"In all honesty Mom I wasn't thinking, I just reacted." she paused and gave Snow a reassuring smile "I'm alright, I promise"

Snow walked around the bed and pulled Emma into a hug, her damp hair held tight to the side of her face.

"Well I suggest you think in future young lady, do not EVER do this to me again"

Images of that night on the Jolly Roger when they had pulled Emma from the rough seas flooded into her mind. She just held her Daughter tight in her arms for a few minutes before she realized that David was missing.

"Where's your Father?" she looked around the room

"He's with a nurse somewhere, he got a cut on his arm" Emma supplied.

"Right Miss Swan, I would say that we want to keep you in over night but I figure that is a bit pointless as you'll be staying anyway. I suggest that you take it easy for the next few days. I want you to STAY under that blanket for the next hour at least before I let you head up to your room. Take a hot shower and GO TO BED when you get there." Victor was being serious, Snow could tell

"She will Victor, I promise" Snow gave him her most thankful look "Thank you"

He smiled then moved over to Jensen's bed on the other side of the room. Snow suddenly realized that there was only one Lost One in the room with them.

"Where's Devin?" she asked

"He never made it out of the water, I presume that he is dead. Dad tried to save him but Devin slashed him with his blade so that he would drop him rather than be taken to jail. I know that I should feel bad for the boy but somehow I just can't bring myself to care" Emma's eyes were full of steely determination as she met Snow's gaze.

"Oh Emma, he was just a boy... a very disturbed, very very evil boy but he was just a product of his circumstances. It was all he had known for a very long time. I'm not making excuses for him but no one deserves to die like that"

"Yeah well, he's gone now" Emma huffed out and Snow was sure she heard her mutter "Good riddance" under her breath but never had time to chastise her as David came into the room supporting a rather large bandage on his arm.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

Ruby sat by Hook's bedside bored out of her skull, it had been almost half an hour since Mary-Margaret had ran from the room and she'd heard nothing, Neal was starting to get fussy and she wasn't exactly sure how much longer she could keep him from waking the sleeping pirate next to her. She bounced him on her knee and made shushing noises at him but he was having none of it, maybe he was hungry.

She got up to have a look for some formula in his bag just hoping that Mary-Margaret had decided to bottle feed him today instead of the alternative. She sighed in relief as she found what she was looking for and in seconds the baby was feeding happily in her arms. She stood at the bottom of Hook's bed, the Pirate really did look awful, dark circles were under both eyes and he had a large goose egg above his right one where she could also see the row of stitches. She could still smell his blood in the air as she looked him over, she suddenly remembered that Mary-Margaret was going to clean him up and made the decision to do it once Neal was fed and changed.

Mary-Margaret was right, Emma didn't need to see that.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

Snow hit his chest and threw her arms around him before he was fully through the door but he just took her in his arms and hugged her tight,

"I'm fine, I'm fine" he whispered into her hair.

When he held her back she was teary eyed and looked on the verge of a breakdown.

"Hey, it's alright. We're OK" he soothed

"I know, it's just been a horrible day. When Ruby and I got back to Hook's room after you left us he was lying on the floor having another panic attack, Oh David it was awful, he couldn't breath and no matter what I did it didn't help" she burst into tears and threw herself back into his front.

"WHAT?" Emma yelled

Mary-Margaret immediately pulled herself back and turned to face their daughter.

"He's fine Emma, he's sleeping right now, Ruby is with him."

"Do you know what triggered it?" David asked steering them towards Emma's side.

"I'm not sure" Snow furrowed her brow for a second before her eyes jumped up to meet his "I think it may have been something to do with the Lost Ones though."

"What makes you say that?" David was the confused one now

"Well, after everything was all under control again I noticed Hook's iPad under the end of his bed but when I picked it up it had been smashed... there was a footprint on it, someone had smashed it on purpose" Snow answered slowly.

"That's it, I need to speak to Jensen NOW, someone grab me some clothes or so help me I'll stand there in my underwear and do it" Emma barked out.

"You will do no such thing" Snow cried "You are to stay in that bed"

"It's OK Emma, I'll go talk to him" David soothed and started to walk away towards the other bed.

"If he did anything to Hook I swear I'll rip him limb from limb" Emma called after him

Yeah, that was going to help the boy speak to him. He sighed to himself, would this ever be done with?

There were still a couple of nurses working on the boy as he approached, they had sat him up and he was sipping on a hot drink. Their eyes met and Jensen had the decency to look ashamed.

"How you doing Kid?" David asked

Jensen was quite for a long beat then looked up to meet his eyes again.

"He tried to kill me?" was all he said

"I know. He was wrong you know, that wasn't the only way out, we would have helped him" David was sincere, he had to get the boy's trust.

"Even after all we had done?" he said in a confused state

"Look, no one is saying that you did nothing wrong and there will most definitely be consequences for you but I get it. You thought he was your friend, you thought he had your back, you thought he knew best but I'm here to tell you kid... you were wrong. Devin only ever had his own interests at heart"

"Yeah, I kinda figured that out for myself today" He rolled his eyes and lifted the mug back to his mouth and took another sip.

"What did you guys do to Hook?" David asked

The boy looked sheepish, yeah they had been there, this was them.

"Nothing, I swear, we didn't touch him" he said innocently

"Why do I find that hard to believe? What happened to his iPad?" he continued

The boy looked genuinely confused for a second before he obviously figured out what it was.

"Devin smashed it with his foot, told the Pirate that he preferred not to know what he had to say, it wasn't me, it was Devin. I was just look out, honest" the boys pleading eyes were all too innocent but David wasn't fooled.

"I'm sorry Jensen but you've gone too far to pull that trick, WHAT did you do to Hook?" he was getting angry now.

The boy looked him right in the eye then a smirk appeared on his face.

"Why don't you ask him, see what he had to say... Oh yeah, he can't answer can he" he laughed loudly

"You little... " David stopped himself from cursing, he reached around his back and pulled out his handcuffs, he moved swiftly before the boy could see what he was doing, he took a step forward and had the boys arm cuffed to the bed in seconds.

"What? What are you doing? You can't do this..." the boy complained loudly

"I think you'll find that I can and I just did." David said over his shoulder as he walked back across to his family.

"I'm going to head out for half an hour, I need to get Hook a new iPad ASAP, I need to know what those idiots did in that room, the more charges we can bring against them the better."

"Thanks Dad" Emma smiled at him as she started to try and get up from the bed.

"YOU stay in that bed until Whale clears you, you hear me. Hook is FINE, he is sleeping and Ruby is with him, you need to take five minutes for yourself. I'll be back soon" he lent over and kissed her forehead then turned to his wife and pulled her into a tight hug

"Look after our girl while I'm gone" he whispered

"Always"

 **More Hook in the next chapter I promise, you'll all just have to be patient :D**


	50. Chapter 50

**A wee bit of Captain Swan coming up as requested with a huge dash of angst for good measure.**

David made his way back through the corridor up to the Pirate's room, he had managed to get a new iPad at the electrical store, he would need to take out a small mortgage to pay for it but for now it meant that Hook would be able to tell them what happened so he'd think about the cost later.

He pushed through the door to find only Ruby and a sleeping Neal in the room with the usual patient. Ruby was by the pirate's side, gently cleaning off the dried blood from his head and neck. David smiled at her as he came into the room.

"How's Emma" she turned to him wringing the cloth in her hands in obvious worry.

"She's fine Ruby, she'll be up shortly." he said while taking the iPad out.

"What happened?" She asked

"Long story short, Emma jumped into the harbor to pull one of the Lost Ones out of the water after the other one pushed him in"

"Oh my God, she must be freezing" Ruby gasped.

"She's fine Ruby, honestly. When I left her she was just waiting on Whale clearing her to come back upstairs"

Ruby sighed a huge sigh of relief. "I'm so glad".

David was just connecting the new iPad to Emma's computer when Ruby's cell phone rang, she grabbed it quickly "shushing" it as she tried to stop it waking up Hook, she grabbed the door and ran out into the corridor to answer it, obviously not wanting to cause anymore noise in the quiet room. That girl really was quite ditsy, he chuckled to himself. He turned back to the task in hand, he needed to set it up then add music to it and maybe a few photo's too, how hard could that be?

After a few minutes Ruby came back into the room looking quite annoyed.

"I'm so sorry but I gotta go, that was Granny, she needs her mushrooms before the lunch rush." she rolled her eyes then huffed out "I don't know why she can't just buy them like any normal person, no I get sent out in the freezing cold to find them for her just so she can save a few bucks!"

She grabbed her basket and jacket before turning back to David

"Tell Emma I will call her later and tell that Pirate that the next time I see him I expect him to be awake enough to enjoy the best bowl of chicken soup he has ever tasted, Granny is making a batch especially."

She gave Hook one last worried look as she headed out the door.

David managed quite quickly to transfer the music and a few good photos over to the iPad and even relented by putting a nice photo of Hook, Emma and Henry up as the wallpaper instead of "Pink Bear" one, yeah, that just didn't have the same humor in it anymore. He left the iPad connected so that it would be fully charged and turned back to the sleeping Pirate. Ruby had done a good job cleaning up his skin but there was still a large dark stain on his pajama top, that would need to be changed when he woke up.

David walked over to the large window and lent on the wall beside it looking out across the parking lot, the sun was still bright in the sky and the thick frost still sparkled on the trees. It really was quite beautiful. With nothing more to do other than wait on Snow and Emma returning he got lost in his own thoughts as he watched the world go by through the open blinds.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

Killian's head throbbed terribly as he resurfaced from his induced sleep, he slowly opened his eyes to see the bathroom door, his heart immediately started to thump in his chest. The door was closed, they must have found her, was she OK? He turned his head sharply to look at Emma's bed but the room spun uncontrollably at the movement and he found himself closing his eyes against the sudden wave of nausea. Once his stomach settled he pulled his eyes open again to see David staring out the window, Emma was nowhere to be seen. His worst nightmares had all come true, she must be gone, there was no way that David would be here if she were still alive, he would be by her side.

He closed his eyes again trying to reel in his anguish, this couldn't be happening, not again. An image of Milah lying in his arms came into his mind, he had failed her too. Gods, this was too much. Tears leaked down his face as he lay there unable to do anything other than grieve the only two women he had ever loved. His chest hitched as he tried to control a sob that escaped his chest but it was no use there was no controlling this, this was going to consume him whole, he would never be the same again.

"Hook?" David's voice was by his side "It's OK, it'll all be OK" he soothed.

Killian couldn't bear to look at him, here was a man who had just lost his only Daughter giving him comfort, it should be the other way round. He sucked in a another shuddering breath.

"Hey, come on calm down, we can deal with this together, come on take a deep breath."

David's hand was suddenly on his left arm and he couldn't help but open his eyes at the contact, David looked calm, almost too calm. Killian couldn't understand how the world was still turning yet Emma's own Father was telling him that everything would be alright, he was wrong, things were so far from alright. Killian just didn't know how he was even going to get through the night never mind anything else. More warm tears ran down his face and his chest hitched once more, he just couldn't help it.

A sudden noise at the door had him turning around, his brain misfiring as he tried to understand what he was seeing. There in the doorway with her Mother was Emma.

"EM'A" he yelled out and immediately tried to get out of the bed to reach her, she couldn't be real.

At the sound of his voice Emma turned to face him, a look of joy briefly on her face followed by one of concern as she ran across the room to stop him in his tracks. She tried to push him back into the bed but he just grabbed hold of her and pulled her to his chest, he couldn't help the fresh tears that flowed or the howling noise that escaped him as he finally made contact with her, she was real, she was here and she was in his arms.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

Emma was in total shock, what the hell was going on? What had those Lost Ones done to Hook that would make him act like this? She pulled him tightly to her front, his head now lay on her shoulder and she could hear breath after ragged breath as he continued to sob like a small child in her arms. She was wearing a set of borrowed blue scrubs that were not exactly what you would call warm and she really needed to have a shower and get changed but right now she was where she was needed, Whale be damned.

Over the next ten minutes Hook finally calmed down and eventually she figured he must have fallen asleep.

"Dad, can you see if he is sleeping" she whispered as quietly as possible.

David came around the side of the bed and nodded, he carefully helped her lie the Pirate back down on the bed. He looked terrible, his face was all red and blotchy and hair stuck up in different directions but worst of all was the large cut in his head. She brushed her thumbs under each of his eyes to take away the excess moisture.

"God, what did they do to you?"

"He'll be fine Emma, this thing is finally over, we can concentrate on getting him home now, once he's out of here you'll see a big difference, just you wait and see" Mary-Margaret hugged her in an awkward sideways embrace.

"I hope you're right Mom, I really do" something in her just wouldn't let her believe that it was finally over, she wondered if she'd ever fully believe it.

"Come on, you need to shower, get into your pajamas then head to bed, Doctors orders remember?" Snow looked stern for a second then smiled sweetly as Emma moved away from her Pirate's side, it was the last thing she wanted to do but she really did need a shower, she smelt like the sea and her hair was full of salt.

She showered quickly and got changed into her fluffiest set of pajamas but when she headed back into Hook's room she didn't head to her own bed instead she made her way over to his.

"Emma he's still sleeping, he'll be OK, you need to lie down and maybe get some sleep too, you look exhausted." her Mom's voice was full of concern

"That's exactly what I plan to do" she said as she hopped up on to the bed next to her Pirate, it was a little awkward until she squirmed into the right position pulling the blankets over them both, she tucked herself into his left hand side being careful not to wake him. She let his warmth seep into her very bones letting out a contented sigh, she was sleeping in minutes knowing that if he woke she would be right there by his side.

 **Do you trust me now?**

 **Was it not worth Emma taking a swim for his reaction?**


	51. Chapter 51

**Poor Hook has really been through the emotional ringer, he's still not feeling the best in this chapter.**

 **Let's hope that with Emma's help he can get over this latest set back quickly and get into that pool ASAP.**

 **I hope that you are all back on board the Captain Swan train after their reunion in the last chapter, I had to work hard to get that to pan out correctly lol**

Mary-Margaret had left a short while ago to pick up Henry, she wasn't returning as originally planned that morning after the events that had taken place. David looked at the pair sleeping on the bed on the other side of the room, Hook had stirred briefly a little after two but Emma had been quick to sooth him back to sleep. David looked out the window, it was getting dark and as he sat staring out into the nothingness he noticed a few flakes of snow had started to fall.

He was so bored that he had actually considered tidying Emma's desk but was saved from that particular task when the woman in question stretched out on the bed. She peeked an eye open at him squinting against the bright artificial lights.

"Hey. What time is it?" her voice croaky with sleep.

"Nearly four, your Mom has gone home and that's only because I practically threw her out of here, she didn't want to leave you" he said with a chuckle

Emma moved to slide off the bed but her movements disturbed Hook and his eyes flew open in panic. He realized quickly that it was just Emma moving but the smile that usually would have appeared stayed hidden behind the worried look on his face.

"Hey, it's OK, it's only me. I really need to get up, my right butt cheek has gone to sleep" she gave him her best sarcastic smile and he tried to smile back but it never quite reached his eyes.

Emma struggled to her feet and stretched bringing her arms up above her head.

"I so need to pee" she said before trotting off to the bathroom.

David watched as Hook's eyes followed her across the room and never left the door until she came back into view at which he breathed a sigh of relief. That was weird.

Emma made her way back across to Hook's bed then seemed to have a sudden thought.

"Do you need to use the bathroom too" she asked

David could have kicked himself, he should have asked him while Emma was away. He could have been half way there already. He watched as the Pirate slowly nodded his head then closed his eyes and winced at the movement.

"Have you still got a headache?" David asked, quickly getting to his feet to help Emma as she pulled back his blankets.

"Aye" Hook replied, obviously not willing to nod his head again.

David couldn't help but smile at the simple word, Hook's voice sounded very rough but it was great just to hear it again, there was a time not that long ago that he'd wondered if he ever would. They wrestled Hook upright and walked him slowly across the room. David noticed the large bloodstain still on his top and made a mental note to change it when they got him back to the bed.

He left Emma with the Pirate and headed back into the room giving them some privacy as Hook took care of business, he'd have a look for a new pajama top. Emma had got Mary-Margaret to pick up a few pairs when they knew that he would finally be able to wear them. He quickly found a long sleeved top and took it over to the bed.

"Dad" he heard Emma yell from behind the door letting him know they were ready to make the return trip.

A few minutes later they lowered the Pirate slowly so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed, David noticed he let out a slow breath as he was finally settled, like he was in pain from somewhere. He just assumed it was from his usual hip pain but the reason became apparent only too quickly when they removed his top. He had a large fresh bruise across his still sore ribs. Without thinking David's hand fell straight to the dark purple mark and pressed gingerly into Hook's side. The growl that escaped the man's lips only added to David's worry.

"Was this Devin?" David said, anger clear in his voice.

"Aye" was his only reply

"Did Whale check this out?" he asked meeting the pirates eyes

Hook shrugged one shoulder, yeah that was a stupid question, from what Mary-Margaret had said Hook wouldn't have known if Whale had smacked him on the head with a mallet.

"Come on, let's get your clean top on, Whale can check it out when he comes in to do his rounds in a while" Emma interrupted, going into Mama Swan mode

It took a bit of wrangling to get it on but eventually Emma smoothed her hand down his back and he gave a small smile.

"You OK?" she asked, face full of concern

"Aye"

This was getting repetitive! He may have been saying he was OK but he was looking very green around the gills and when he suddenly started breathing heavily David knew the signs. David moved fast and grabbed the plastic trash can that Emma had by her desk tipping the contents on to the floor before shoving in front of the pirate's face just as he started to retch. Emma sat next to him and rubbed soothing circles on his back and David's heart clenched in sympathy at one point as Hook tried to sit back obviously thinking that the worst had past only to dive forward again, his stomach clearly not finished torturing him yet.

By the time he was definitely finished Hook looked exhausted, yeah, concussions certainly did suck. They got him back into the bed and under his covers, his color was still leaning towards the green shades and he had a sheen of sweat across his forehead but he was asleep in seconds and David couldn't help be happy about that, it was the best thing for him.

Whale came in about an hour later, he made a point of checking Hook's fresh bruise and concluded that it was just that, no broken bones. He hooked the Pirate back up to an IV line after discovering that he had vomited, Hook had been asleep for most of the day so Whale didn't want him getting dehydrated. It was also decided that his pool session that was scheduled for the next day would have to be delayed as he would be in no fit state to make any progress for a couple more days.

Hook briefly woke again about 8pm, he seemed unwilling to let Emma far from his side, holding her hand tightly as she chatted to him, she tried to get him to tell her what happen on the new iPad but that was the moment he shut down, he just point blank refused to type a thing and just closed his eyes until sleep took him once more.

David just hoped that he would tell them what they needed to know in the morning, he needed to build an air tight case against Jensen, he needed to work fast but he couldn't do anything until he knew what had transpired right there in that very room earlier that day. It was with a heavy heart that he left that night, none the wiser as to what Hook had been through, he vowed that one way or another he would get the truth out of his friend the next day even if it was the last thing he did.


	52. Chapter 52

**Sorry that it's only one update today I've been kinda busy...**

 **Total and utter Captain Swan fluff ahead... you have been warned.**

She was worried about him. He had slept through the night but now he just lay staring out the window. No matter what she did or what she said she just couldn't get him to pick up the iPad and talk to her. What the hell had happened to him? She was prepared to give him until lunch time to snap out of it then she was going to do some serious butt kicking... well metaphorically speaking.

She sat with the new iPad held in her hands, this was torture, the only sound in the room was the slow methodical beep of his heart rate monitor. Out of boredom she flicked the iPad on, not really expecting anything to be on it, her Dad had only just bought it the day before and with what had happened to both her and Hook she hadn't had a chance to touch it until now.

A photo of her, Hook and Henry sprang to life on the screen pulling a smile to her lips, her Dad really was a big softy, "Pink Bear" was gone. What else had he done? She tapped the music app and a whole load of stuff popped up on the screen. Wow... there were loads more songs than he had on the last one. The Christmas playlist was still there but there were also more distinctly "David" tunes too and one playlist that was labeled "For Hook's Ears Only", Emma furrowed her brow but didn't open it, it was not meant for her and no matter how curious she was she wouldn't do that.

She had a sudden thought, she tapped the playlist then grabbed his headphones and stood up.

"Here, if you're not going to talk to me I'm going to go and have a shower" she dumped the iPad in his lap "Listen to some music, maybe that will improve your mood because obviously I can't"

She gave it just the right amount of sass, knowing that he would feel bad but hoping that it was the kick up the pants he needed. She waltzed away, grabbing some fresh clothes as she went never once looking back at him on the bed. She stepped through the bathroom door and turned on the water but instead of climbing into the warmth she slipped to the back of the door and peeked through the crack into the room.

He was struggling with the bed controls trying to sit himself up a bit, she nearly abandoned her plan when he gasped loudly and gripped his ribs tightly with his arm, tipping his head back against the pillows for a few seconds, eyes screwed shut and sucking in some deep breaths but he surprised her just as she was about to move by growling to himself, shaking his head and finally picking up the iPad. He managed to pull the headphones over his ears and pressed the play button. She watched his face but without knowing what he was listening to his expression was hard to read. He seemed to be listening hard then the impossible happened... he smiled! He actually gave a genuine smile and her heart could have burst with happiness. Right at that moment she didn't care what the music was, she was going to give her Dad the biggest hug he'd had in his entire life when she saw him.

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Killian couldn't believe it as he listened to the lyrics of the song, he had closed his eyes and was listening hard getting lost in the melody, it was upbeat but and the meaning was clear, it was a woman and she sang of taking back her life.

This is my fight song

Take back my fight song

Prove I'm right song...

OK, he got it, he got the message loud and clear. The song finished and another started to play he listened intently for the hidden message which he was obviously supposed to hear.

Everybody's been there,

Everybody's been stared down by the enemy

Fallen for the fear

And done some disappearing,

Bow down to the mighty

Don't run, just stop holding your tongue

I wanna see you be Brave.

Killian kept listening to song after song each had it's own message, and each held a meaning to him if he let it. Then the next song played and his heart sang, he was so in awe that he failed to notice that Emma had come back into the room until she touch his arm and he couldn't help the huge grin that nearly split his face when he looked up at her. He had lost sight of the important part in all of this, Devin had lied, Emma was alive and most importantly it was finally over. He shot his arm out and wrapped it around her hips tugging her sharply into his lap eliciting a squeal from her as she grinned back. His ribs were protesting loudly but he didn't care, the woman he loved was right there in his arms and nothing in this world was going to stop him from kissing her. Their eyes met and the laughter died on her lips as she obviously realized what was about to happen but in true Emma style she couldn't let him have his moment, she launched herself forward crashing her lips to his.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

They lay on Hook's bed, Emma tucked into his side in her usual position.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" she asked quietly

He was finally talking to her but they had no broached the subject of the previous day's events until now. His fingers hovered over the iPad for a few seconds then he pulled in a breath and let his fingers do the talking.

"Aye Love, I made a promise to you that I mean to keep, I am sorry that I could not do it yesterday but it was simply just too much for me to accept at that time, now I am ready"

She snuggled in closer to his side to give him encouragement.

"When I returned to my room you were not here. I thought nothing of it, I just assumed you had left to stretch your legs. Whale advised me to get some rest and I was quite ready to agree, the procedure had left me tired and in much need of a nap. Whale had literally just left the room when they walked out of the bathroom door" he paused here, closing his eyes against the memory.

"Hey, it's OK. Just take your time, I'm right here" she ran her hand up his chest stopping it over his beating heart and smiled when he briefly looked at her before he went back to his task.

"I started off well, I played Devin at his own game and for a while I thought I would come out the victor but then everything changed. He told me that he had stuck his blade into your gut and that you lay beyond the bathroom door, I believed him, he had a blade in his hand and you were not here, the rest of your family could be seen in the parking lot but you were missing, I had no reason to doubt him. I tried to go to you but I fell, Devin was on me in a second and it was too much, as he spoke above me my memories flooded back. I could hear every threat, I could feel every strike against my skin, I could even smell the damp grass around me even though I was lying on this very floor. The voices in my head grew and grew and I lost Henry, he was my strength but in all the noise he left me when I needed him most. I'm not sure what happened after that, all I know was that I tried to get to you and I failed. When I awoke and only your Father was here in the room with me I thought you had gone, I could see no other reason for him being here. Surely if you had been alive he would have been at your side. In that moment I died, I did not know how I was going to survive... I didn't want to survive."

A single tear slid down his face and Emma's heart broke, he had thought that she was dead, as far as he had been concerned he had suffered the ultimate loss for the second time in his life. She took the iPad from his hand making a show of putting it face down, showing him that he didn't need to say anymore.

"I'm here, I'm RIGHT here and I'm not going anywhere."

That was all that was needed, he pulled her tightly to his side and dropped a kiss onto the crown of her head. She tried her best not to cry, he needed her to be strong right now. She thanked the stars that Devin wasn't the one that she had pulled out of that harbor yesterday because she would probably be getting read her rights in the morning as a case was brought against her for first degree murder.

 **Feedback is greatly appreciated and always a lovely thing to read, even if it does show me that you don't trust me. lol**

 **Do you trust me now?**

 **Is this enough Captain Swan for you?**

 **You know this wouldn't have been possible if Emma hadn't gone in the water, right?**

 **Hahaha, I'm just teasing you all.**

 **BTW I slightly changed this chapter from my original notes as when I wrote it "Fight Song" by Rachel Platten hadn't been released but when I heard it I thought it would be perfect so added it in . The other sang was "Brave" by Sara Bareilles.**


	53. Chapter 53

**Again only one chapter, life has gotten busy... sorry.**

Killian awoke early the next morning, the sun had not risen yet but a thick blanket of snow lay on the ground giving the outside world a eerie glow. He had not seen snow this thick in a very long time, Neverland did not have such a thing. He thought back to the happy days spent as a child when snow had held wonder and excitement and how that had changed when he grew into a man and joined the Navy, it had become a very different affair then. Heavy snow at sea could mean life or death situations but right here right now he just thought that it looked pretty.

A noise from Emma's bed had him turning to make sure she was all right but the sight before him had him gripping his ribs against the laughter that threatened to escape him. She lay in her bed, hair everywhere. Her mouth hung wide open and she had just started to give a light snore, the best thing by far though was the fact that she had somehow managed to grasp that blasted pink bear that the Prince had bestowed upon him for that damned picture he had taken. Emma had tossed it on to her bed after it had mysteriously ended up on the floor more times than you could count, eventually realizing that it's place was not at his bedside. She gripped it tight in her arms holding it close in the crook of her right arm.

David would find this amusing, he didn't need to think twice. He grabbed the iPad and manged to activate the camera, Henry really was a good teacher. He tried to take the photo quickly but the flash bounced around the room several times and he feared for a second that she would catch him when she murmured something but to his relief she just turned over to face the wall and continued to sleep.

He sat staring at the photo, yes, Emma was going to kill him but perhaps he could bring some humor back into their lives. It was nearly Christmas after all and he was finally realizing that he had something to look forward to again. Emma had convinced him to talk to the grasshopper, he was a little confused as to why he would be willing to help him after he nearly stuck his hook through his head but apparently he had said that everybody deserved a second chance.

He was nervous about speaking to the man but knew he needed to do something, he had thought that once he remembered what had happened that night that the nightmares would leave him but alas if anything they had increased. Henry's music was of some help but sometimes nothing worked, he could still hear Devin's voice in the back of his mind just waiting to take control but he was done with it all, nobody controlled his life but him so if it meant talking to the bug for the sake of his sanity so be it.

He sat starring at the photo for the longest time then a sudden thought struck, maybe he could send it to David and Henry, they would surely appreciate the humor in that act. He fiddled about with the iPad for what seemed like an eternity and finally after several failed attempts he managed to attach the photo to a message, he glanced at the clock, it was nearly seven thirty so both would surely be awake by now. His finger hovered over the message as he had a sudden moment of doubt but then the Devil on his other shoulder won and he hit send, the message went with a "swoosh", he sat there with a huge grin on his face. Yes, he was a dead man.

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The morning passed quite quickly, Whale had done his rounds, he'd removed Hook's IV line and cleared him to start his pool sessions the next morning. Her Mom had arrived just before nine thirty with Henry, school was canceled due to the snow. She had not seen him smile so much in a long time.

"You're a too funny Killian, I like it" He said, voice full of laughter

"Aye?" Hook replied grin plastered on his face, she had no idea what they were talking about but before she had a chance to ask, Henry spun around to face her.

"Mom Can I go and build a snowman outside? Pleeeeeeeeease" he pleaded.

"Sure Kid, wrap up warm and don't go too far from this window, I want to be able to see the result without going outside" she said warmly

In truth she wanted him where she could see him still not used to the idea that they could all relax a little. He practically ran from the room and after a few minutes she saw him run into view, she was one flight up but could see him clearly, his face practically glowing with joy. She stood by the window watching him as he worked, narrating to Hook what was going on.

"I wn't t' see" his raspy voice sounded out behind her

She was about to shoot him down but when she looked at him held such a hopeful expression that she couldn't do it. She managed to wrestle the recliner chair, with the help of her Mom, over to the window and after a few minutes he was sitting up staring out in wonder. She grabbed his blankets and covered his legs to make sure he didn't get a chill but he never even seemed to notice her as she worked, too intent on watching her Son who had clearly seen him and was waving like a mad man.

The three of them sat and watched as Henry worked, he built a huge base then two smaller parts, clearly the body and the head but he couldn't lift them. She was just about to go out and help him when Ruby showed up, she placed her basket down for a few minutes and helped him to get them in place then looked up at the window and waved after talking to Henry, Hook gave an enthusiastic wave back that had him gripping his ribs but never removing the smile from his face.

A few minutes later Ruby walked through he door.

"It's FREEZING out there!" she shivered before hugging Mary-Margaret tightly "I would have been here earlier but Granny's been doing laundry again and I couldn't find my new sweatshirt, it's the cutest thing you'll ever see. It's bright red with snowflakes and wolves on it, she says that she didn't touch it, I swear if she's shrunk it and just isn't telling me there'll be trouble"

She suddenly seemed to realize that she'd been rambling and looked quite flustered for a second before remembering the basket in her hand.

"Hook, I hope you are ready for this" she practically yelled across to him which had him turning to look at her in confusion.

She pulled a thermos out of the basket but his face didn't change, he didn't know what it was. Emma watched as Ruby moved over to his wheeled table. She poured the contents out into a large bowl from the diner then grabbed a spoon out of the basket. Hook suddenly got the idea of where this was going. He hadn't eaten anything in more than a mouth and this soup smelt amazing, Emma's mouth was instantly watering, He inhaled deeply and an almost feral look appeared on his face as Ruby pushed the table over to where he sat.

They all sat and watched as he took up the spoon, it was a little awkward, his hand and wrist still painful to bend but he managed. The first spoonful went in and his eyes rolled in pleasure at the taste, he savored it for a few seconds then swallowed it down only giving a small grimace before scooping up another mouthful. He finished the bowl in minutes, by the time he was nearing the end Emma could see he was struggling both with the awkward movement and with his fullness. He had lost a lot of weight, weight that he couldn't really afford to lose but it was going to take time to get him back to full meals. Little and often was what they were going for at the minute and he had taken the first meal with no issue. He looked tired as she walked over to his side.

"You want to go back to bed? You look beat" she asked

He shook his head and pointed out the window, he wanted to watch Henry.

"OK. How about a compromise? I recline your chair a bit and you can stay here but you don't fight sleep, if you get tired you take a nap. OK? Deal?"

"Aye Deal" he croaked in return before turning to Ruby

"Than' Y'" his voice dipped out but the meaning was clear.

"No problem, it's got to better than hospital food, right" she gave him a wide toothy smile

"Aye" he replied raising an eyebrow

"Right, that's enough vocal exercises for today Mister" Emma chastised "You heard Whale, do not over use that voice"

He gave her a salute and a wink as she moved his chair so that he was more reclined. She knew her plan would work, he lay for a full ten minutes before sleep took him. She looked out the window as Henry worked. He finally finished when her Dad showed up and removed his own scarf and wrapped it around the Snowman's neck. They took a photo of Henry standing next to his creation and came back into the room.

Henry took David's cell and sent the photo to Hook's iPad so that he could see the result when he awoke. Emma sat next to him and as she watched him flick through the photos in the album one caught her eye. What was that? She grabbed to iPad from Henry's grasp, he yelled and laughed loudly but she just held it higher as she scrolled back... why, that good for nothing Pirate had clearly been having fun at her expense and she had been the one defending him in the "Pink Bear" debacle, Oh this was war Pirate, two can play at that game, bring it on!


	54. Chapter 54

**First off I will apologize for the lack of updates, my life has got VERY busy, I've just launched my own business and it is taking up a lot of my time. I will 100% finish this story but the updates may be a bit more irregular.**

 **So when I awoke this morning it was to a PM from the lovely brainybrownie, she has been inspired by my story to create some fan art, please check this out, it's her first digital fan art too, pretty awesome. Thank you so much xx**

 **It won't let me put any kind of link on my page so just type "deviant art You can take the boys out of neverland" into your search bar as that works too**

Killian felt quite self conscious but somehow he couldn't remove the smile from his face as he sat in his wheelchair by the side of the therapy pool in the most ridiculous bathing suit he had ever seen. The fact that Emma stood before him in what he assumed was her bathing suit and not her underwear may have had a lot to do with his permanent grin.

"What are you grinning at Pirate?" she whispered with a knowing grin

He didn't need his iPad, which was still back in his room to get his point across as his eyes fell to her breasts and one of his perfect eyebrows shot up. Emma slapped his arm playfully.

"Behave yourself." she giggled.

The two therapists were working on getting the hoist ready at the side of the pool so that he could be lowered into the water. Whale had stuck a water proof dressing over his feeding tube cap, they had had to shave a patch of his chest hair to get a good seal and he hoped it would grow back quickly. It did look very strange and he would feel a bit odd wearing his usual open necked shirts if the bare patch was visible.

He was impatient to get in the water, what could be taking them so long? He loved the water although this indoor pool was a wonder he had never seen before. He was used to swimming in the ocean but was happy to admit at this moment in time he would take the calm heated water over the cold harsh seas.

He struggled forward on his seat, Emma coming to his side to help him.

"Wait a minute, they're not quite finished yet"

"Stand" he grit out, he had an idea.

"You can stand in a second" Emma said in an exasperated tone trying to keep him seated.

"Now" he croaked and started to push himself up, he'd stand on his own if he needed to.

Emma sighed but took hold of his right arm and he wrapped his fingers round her wrist to help him get better leverage. He was standing close to the edge of the pool now grinning like an idiot, this would be much quicker. He didn't give Emma a chance to try and stop him, he just tipped himself side ways into the pool, Emma's fingers grasping uselessly at his arm as he went.

He gave a loud splash as he went in but he didn't care, it was warm and felt heavenly. He broke the surface to cries of despair from Emma but he just grinned at her as he tried his best to tread water. This in itself was proving to be a more difficult task than he had anticipated, he was tiring fast. This was not good, how could such a simple task take so much out of him. He could see Emma moving towards the steps at the end of the pool with the therapists, she was shaking her head in despair.

He dipped below the surface for just a second, caught by surprise he pushed himself back up and sucked in a deep breath, how had that happened? His ribs were starting to ache now and his hip was on fire, maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Emma was looking down at her feet as she walked down the steps, he needed to get her attention, he knew he wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer but she had turned to the therapists and was deep in conversation as he slipped beneath the surface for the second time. He tried to kick his legs to resurface but in an instant he was in agony as cramp struck his right calf, he couldn't do anything other than scrabble with his arms but he was making no headway. Black dots were just starting to dance in his vision when hands suddenly grabbed him and he was yanked northward coughing and rasping as he breached the surface. He took a few minutes to get himself back under control, the three women had manged to drag him to shallower water and he now stood with his feet on the bottom.

"Idiot" Emma yelled "What were you thinking?"

"S'rry" he managed to say between coughs

Her face softened as she watched him, she eyed him cautiously as if he might disappear if she took her eyes off of him. He gave her a reassuring smile as he finally got his breathing back to normal.

"You OK?" Emma asked, rubbing her hand across his back

"Aye" he replied.

He was so tired already, he just wanted to go back to bed but he could see that the therapists were readying some things in the water for him to use. He was worried that he wouldn't be able to complete his tasks. Emma must have read his thoughts as she supplied an answer.

"It's OK, we'll only do what you can manage. Don't put so much pressure on yourself and DO NOT try going for a swim by yourself again and you'll get on fine." she smiled warmly at him

So Killian found himself working harder than he thought possible for the next twenty minutes, he was physically exhausted by the time he was finished and his leg kept going out from underneath him.

"You did great" one of the pool therapists praised "Take a few minutes to relax, we'll get the hoist ready. I presume you'll be wanting to actually use it this time" she laughed

"Aye" he chuckled back

"Come on Pirate, lie back, I've got you. Just let yourself float, I'll not let you go, trust me" Emma had him moving into deeper water before he could even protest, not that he would, he trusted her above all others.

He relaxed back, his ears going below the surface which made everything sound muffled, he knew Emma was talking but he couldn't make out what she was saying. He felt the most relaxed he had in a very long time as he bobbed along with Emma's hands supporting the back of his head. All too quickly it was time to leave the warmth of the pool. It was a struggle to get into the hoist and even more of a struggle to get out, all in all by the time he was dried and back in his pajamas he was practically asleep in his wheelchair.

Fifteen minutes later and he was back in his bed, his eyes were practically rolling in his head as he lay back. He ached from head to toe and gave a wince as Emma smoothed his blankets out.

"You sore?" she asked, voice full of concern.

Too tired to even nod his head he croaked out "Aye"

"Here, take your meds and have a sleep. Ruby will be here in about an hour with your lunch. Hopefully by then you'll be feeling a bit better"

He accepted the medication, it was in liquid form as he was still unable to swallow pills and it went down smoothly, he could feel sleep pulling him down into his soft pillows as Emma's fingers started to stroke the hair from his forehead.

"You need a hair cut Pirate, and you're beginning to look like Grizzly Adams with that beard, I'll get my Dad to bring in his clippers and we'll get you back to your handsome self in no time" she bent over and kissed him sweetly.

Sleep came quickly with his Princess by his side and for the first time in what seemed like an eternity the only voices he heard in his dreams were happy ones.

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The snow was still falling hard when Emma finally walked away from her sleeping Pirate, she stood by the window and smiled at Henry's snowman. Someone had added a woolly hat to it's head, that should keep it nice and warm! She hoped that the snow let up soon, it was making it really hard for her Dad to get about on his sheriff duties and he'd been getting calls for help from all over the town from people who were stuck in their houses. He had set up a network to give assistance to anyone who needed it with the help of Leroy and the dwarves, when it came to hard work they really were the best out there. They were getting around in a 4x4 and an old tractor which was surprising good at getting through the thick snow if not a little chilly to drive.

Just that morning they had had to take some food parcels out to some of the residents that lived on the outskirts of town as they just couldn't get into town, the storm front had hit with little warning leaving a lot of families unprepared. Her Dad had promised to come by on his way back into town as she was by herself for the first time in weeks, she had insisted that her Mom stay home with Neal and Henry, there was no point in them struggling all the way here to sit and watch Hook sleeping. She had tried to put Ruby off too but she seemed to have made it her own personal crusade to make sure Hook got the best food that there was, saying that the hospital food would do him no good, he needed the best ingredients to help him build his strength.

She was brought out of her musings by the sight of Ruby plowing her way through the snow, basket clutched in her hands. Emma couldn't help the smile that sprang onto her face as Ruby saw her standing at the window and gave an enthusiastic wave. She waved back then walked to the bathroom to grab a towel knowing Ruby would appreciate it when she came in.

The two women had sat chatting for over an hour before Hook finally stirred from sleep, he still looked tired but was obviously feeling hungry as he smiled widely at Ruby, he moved the bed up into a better position to eat, craning his neck to see the contents of the basket.

"I heard you tried to drown yourself this morning!" Ruby said in a serious tone "If you want to kill yourself they're are easier ways to do it!"

Hook at least had the decency to look sheepish for a split second before he nodded his head to the basket that Ruby had brought in.

"Hungry today I see" Ruby gave a wide grin "We've got the BEST beef broth followed by a peanut butter smoothie, lots of protein, get some muscles back on your skinny ass"

Hook looked indignant at that comment and Emma could almost hear his voice in her head protesting that his ass was not skinny but the minute ruby grabbed the thermos his expression changed to one of a starving dog, he actually licked his lips in anticipation.

He wolfed the soup down, managing the whole bowl in no time at all then waited with eager anticipation for his smoothie which Ruby had in another thermos surrounded by ice packs. He let out a low hum of appreciation as the first mouthful went down.

"Good" he croaked out giving Ruby a huge smile

"I looked up some recipes online so that we could use build up your strength, lots of healthy ingredients"

"Thanks Ruby, you are the best. Tell Granny we send her thanks too, he really seems to be enjoying that" Emma said sincerely

Hook managed about half of the smoothy before he finally gave in, he still looked tired but seemed to want to fight it, Emma was having none of it, she knew if he fought it now he would be over tired later and when he got too tired the voices in his head became worse, she was not willing to let that happen after he was making such good progress. He had his first session scheduled with Archie the next day and she wanted him to hit it in the best frame of mind.

"Come on, lie back down, my Dad will probably be here when you wake up. How about you listen to some of your music."

Emma grabbed his iPad and handed it over, he could navigate it well himself so she left him to it but within a few seconds he was shoving it back into her hand. She looked down confused until she saw he had typed a message out for her.

"Thank you Love, I am sorry that I let you down this morning. I did not mean to frighten you. I did not realize that my body would not support me in the water. I promise I will not let you down again"

She sighed "You didn't let me down you idiot, you frightened me. I looked up and you were gone and I just panicked, I know you wouldn't do it on purpose but you've got to realize that it is going to take time for you to get your strength back and unfortunately for you that means lots of sleep. Now stop delaying and hop to it Pirate"

"As y' wish"

She beamed at him, she didn't know if he knew the hidden meaning in his statement but she loved it when he used it, it made her heart sing. That was a story of an entirely different Princess and a Pirate but she was living her very own fairy tale now and in her world Captain Hook was so much better than the Dread Pirate Roberts.


	55. Chapter 55

**Here is today's update for you little cherubs... a bit of pain and humor this evening. It's just how I roll :D**

PAIN PAIN PAIN... in an instant he was awake, the cramp that he had experienced earlier in the pool was back but ten times worse. He flew from sleep in a howling yell as the muscle in his right leg felt like they were trying to rip the limb from his body. He gasped as he tried to in vain to alleviate the pain but no matter how he moved the spasm just would not abate. He tried to sit up, he needed to stand to stretch the muscle, it was the only way that this hell was going to stop.

"Hook, it's OK, lie back down it's OK, it's only a dream"

David?! He must be thinking that he was having a nightmare, he opened his eyes to see David's concerned face by his side.

"Up" he managed to croak, still trying to extract himself from his bedding.

"You're going to hurt yourself and Emma will have my hide, will you just lie back down, it'll pass in a second. Come on take some deep breaths" David was starting to sound annoyed at his struggling.

"Pain" he growled through his teeth, if David didn't help him soon he was sure he was going to lose his mind, the pain was unbearable.

"What?! You're in pain? What hurts?" David sounded worried now but that was too many questions for him to answer all at once.

"Leg" he gasped as another spasm pulled his calf muscle taught, "GAH" this was too much.

"Have you got cramp in your leg?"

Finally, David had got the message, he nodded his head frantically still trying to stand up.

"No lie back, I got it" David yelled as he moved to the bottom of the bed.

The blankets were pulled back and before Killian knew what was happening David had grabbed his foot and was pushing his toes up with one hand and kneading his rock solid calf with the other. It took a good few minutes for the pain to leave and even when it had fully gone it left his leg feeling stiff and on the verge of another attack. Killian breathed out a sigh of relief, he could finally lie back and gather his thoughts.

"You OK now?" he heard David's voice next to him

"Aye" he was getting good at these one word answers.

"I'll be back in a minute" David said quickly then walked out the door.

As Killian lay staring at the ceiling he realized that it was David by his side and not Emma, he looked around confused for a moment but then he heard the shower running and knew where she must be.

The door opening again had him looking over to see David returning with Whale.

"David says that you had cramp in your leg again, is that right?" Whale picked up the chart from the end of his bed

"Aye" Killian replied

"OK, it's probably nothing to worry about, it's quite common with patients that have been immobile for long periods. That and the fact that you have been getting fed through your stomach tube can lead to some of your levels dropping. A lack of calcium is probably the cause, we'll start you on a calcium supplement, it's just like drinking a glass of orange cordial. I'll get some brought in shortly, it should start working straight away so we should not have a repeat of today" He jotted some things down then excused himself.

A nurse entered moments later carrying the orange drink in a plastic cup, Killian gulped it down, it didn't taste bad but to say it tasted of orange was a stretch of the imagination. The nurse left and the room fell into silence, until David suddenly seemed to remember something.

"Emma said that you needed a hair cut and you wanted to lose the whole "Leroy Beard" look, you sure you don't want me to twist it into beads, I'm sure you could give Jack Sparrow a run for his money" David laughed, eyebrows high in question.

Who in the blazes was Jack Sparrow? He must have looked really confused because David supplied the answer to his unasked question.

"He's a Pirate Captain, his ship is called "The Black Pearl", have you never heard of him? That surprises me, I thought you knew all the Pirates!" he said with a sparkle in his eye.

Killian was flabbergasted, who was this Pirate of which he spoke? Surely he could not be well known enough if after all the years that Killian had been alive he had not heard of him. He moved to pick up his iPad as Emma walked back into the room.

"Dad... Did I just hear you ask Hook if he had heard of Jack Sparrow knowing full well that he is a fictional character?" she gave David a knowing look

"Maybe" was all he answered

Killian had picked up his iPad as the spoke and quickly typed out.

"You had me for a minute there Mate, I thought I was missing a trick. Is this Sparrow fellow from one of this realm's moovees?" the tapped his finger on his wheeled table to get their attention.

"Yeah he is and the man is an idiot, you would hate him. Maybe we can watch them one evening when you get home, the story is quite good and there is a Swan in them that you might find appealing too" David laughed at his own joke.

"Hey, he's quite happy with the Swan he has, he doesn't need another" Emma chirped in.

Killian had no idea what they were talking about but he smiled none the less, he did enjoy watching those moovee things on the telly vision with the whole Charming family, this would be something to look forward too.

"Right, are we going to do this hair cut or what?" Emma said turning to face him, clippers in hand.

"Aye" he replied with a grin.

The hair cut went fine but somewhere along the line the beard trim turned into a nightmare when David's hand slipped and took far too much off right up the side of his face. The result was Killian sitting, minus his beard and very much wearing a scowl fifteen minutes later.

"I'm sorry, it was an accident" David said the right words but he was laughing hard, oh he was going to pay.

"I am not convinced. You seem to be taking far too much pleasure from me being beardless once more" he replied in text

"That's because it didn't happen to me" David burst out into a fit of laughter.

"I am glad I can amuse you so much, Highness. Just remember that Pirates have long memories and revenge is a dish best served cold" he gave David a steely gaze as the Prince read.

"Yeah yeah yeah Pirate, bring it on, do your worst" David didn't stop smiling as he packed away his things, it was getting late and he would be heading off soon.

Killian sat giving him daggers as he worked, he needed a plan, his revenge would have to be good. He couldn't believe that he was minus his beard yet again and yes, he was aware that it would be back in a matter of days but if he heard one more person comment the he looked like a twelve year old they may find his hook buried in their head before he came to his senses... this was NOT funny.

 **Tomorrow we get some Archie. I miss Jimney in the show, kinda hope they bring him back at some point, not long now to the new season... I CANNOT WAIT**


	56. Chapter 56

**Here we go again, the new season is nearly upon us and I am super excited by all the sneak peaks... I actually squealed out loud when I saw Merida with the Whisp. :D**

Emma sat quietly in the corner, she had wanted to leave to give him some privacy but Hook had insisted that she stay. He had not long awoken after his morning pool session, he had done really well today but had been in quite a lot of pain when they finally got him back into bed, she had offered him some stronger pain medication but he had refused. It tended to make him even more tired than normal and he complained that it muddled his mind, she could understand his reluctance but knew that if he wasn't feeling better by the evening she would insist on him taking some before he went to sleep for the night.

She looked across at him, he looked tired and drawn but his overwhelming state of being was nervousness as Archie made himself comfortable in her recliner chair.

"My, it sure is cold out there." he said knocking the last of the snow from his hat as he took it from his head "They say that the freeze is set to stay for the next few days at least. I saw David and Leroy earlier, they say that it's been causing havoc, they've had several reports of burst pipes across the town."

Hook smiled politely but Emma could read his face and he was nothing but a bag of nerves. He fidgeted on his bed then took the edge of his blankets in his hand, picking at a loose thread and trying not to look like he wanted to be anywhere else but here. Emma's heart went out to him, this was hard, he was not one for sharing, never mind with Archie, I mean, they weren't exactly friends. Emma couldn't do this, she walked to his side and slide herself onto the edge of his bed taking up his left arm, he had insisted on having his hook attached , unwilling to let anyone outside his close circle see him without it. She tugged it closer and gripped it tight in her lap in a show of support.

"Now" Archie finally said as he sat back ready to start "What do you want to talk about?"

Hook gave a puzzled look, his iPad sat on the table in front of him but his hands stayed in his lap.

"I see that you expected me to ask questions" Archie said knowingly "That's not how this works to begin with, this is your opportunity to speak to me about anything you want to. It doesn't have to be about your attack, it can be about anything. Hopefully you will, in time, trust me enough to let me be your guide to your own answers."

She watched as Hook's fingers tugged on the blanket thread for a moment more before he finally lifted his hand and took up his iPad. He typed quickly then turned the screen.

"Why are you doing this? I mean really, I know it is your chosen profession but I attacked you, I held you captive in the hold of my ship, I even threatened to put my hook through your skull and yet you sit here before me willing to help me, why?"

Archie thought for a second then looked Hook right in the eye.

"Do you remember what you felt like when you took me, I mean deep down inside not just what you showed the world on the outside?"

Hook, gave a jerky nod

"I'm betting that you were lost, you were so hell bent on getting revenge on the man who killed your love that you lost sight of the man that she fell in love with. You would have done and said anything to finally kill your Crocodile and for a while I'll admit that I thought that you were evil through and through but then you did something that astounded me. You put a couple of centuries worth of revenge aside to help Emma find Henry, that right there was the first glimpse of the man that you had always been, you had just forgotten it. Believe it or not Hook, everybody has done things in their lives that need to be forgiven, myself included. You just lost your way for a little longer than most... by a couple of hundred years or so" he added the last part with a light laugh.

Hook laughed too before schooling his features in to one of complete seriousness.

"Thank yo'" he croaked out then gave a genuine smile.

Hook took up his iPad again and tapped out a long passage then handed the tablet over to Archie before turning back to look at Emma, he looked more relaxed and ready to share. She gave him a wide smile and squeezed his leg in support but just then her cell rang. She jumped up and walked to the other side of the room to answer it, it was her Dad.

"Hey Dad, what's up?" she said happily

"Just checking in, I'll manage to get in but not until later but get this, Rufio says he's going to come in and see Hook with Rapha and Tiger Lily. They've got a place closer to town so that Rapha can go to school, you know when it opens up again, they moved in a couple of days ago and I happened to bump into them when I was on my rounds this morning." he answered

"That's great, are they going to be OK in this snow?" she said concerned

"Yeah, Rufio has an off roader, perks of the job. I told him to wait until about four so that Archie would be gone by the time they got there, figured it would be a good distraction for the Pirate, I don't want him wallowing in his own thoughts if I can help it"

"Thanks Dad, that's awesome. How are things out there?" she asked, turning to look across at the other two in the room, Archie seemed to be speaking in a low tone and Hook was listening intently, not even noticing her watching him.

"Fine, I'm just heading out to the stables. Can you believe someone has stolen a load of horse blankets? They're having to keep the horses indoors just now anyway but even so, there are some weird people out there" he sounded annoyed

"Unbelievable. Is Leroy with you?"

"No, he's at the Rabbit Hole, they've had a burst pipe which has flooded the cellar, they're trying to get everything out that they can save, I'll be heading there in a few minutes to lend a hand, it's not far if I take the north road."

"Cool, I'll see you later"

"You can count on it" he signed off with

Emma thought that she would check her emails and other stuff while the two men chatted, she worked away for about ten minutes before turning the computer off for the day, it was nearly three thirty and Rufio would be here soon. She stood and looked out the window, the clouds were dark and heavy with snow but as yet it had failed to start to fall. A part of her wished she was out there with her Dad helping the people in town but a bigger part knew she was right where she needed to be.

She smiled at Henry's snowman still standing tall and proud even if he did have some extra snow on his hat, she doubted that the schools would be back until after the holiday's now as more snow was forecast and the old building was frozen solid. She could hear Archie talking in his smooth calming tone and turned to see how they were getting on.

"...so you see not everything is always as it seems" he ended, Emma wished she knew how that sentence had started.

She watched as Hook seemed to mull over what had been said before typing a reply, a reply that she couldn't read from her position, Archie read it and gave a soft chuckle.

"THAT is a very valid point, one that I'll let you ponder over until our next session" he stood and moved to shake Hook's hand, her Pirate looked at the extended hand for a second before quickly taking hold of it and giving a firm shake.

Archie grabbed his hat and scarf before wrapping up against the cold. He gave Emma a warm smile as he headed to the door, turning back to speak to Hook as he went.

"I'll be back on Thursday, think over what we've discussed and try some of the techniques out. Please tell Henry that he did well with the music idea, it's one of the things that I usually recommend in cases such as yours, he is a smart boy that one, he will go a long way in life, has a good heart."

He grabbed his umbrella from next to the door and bid them farewell.

"How did you get on?" Emma asked as she walked over to Hook's side

"G'd" he replied

"Not what you thought it would be?"

"N't a' all" his voice was getting croaky again "I th'nk 't w'll help"

"I think, you've done enough talking for the day." she raised her eyebrow then remembered Rufio "Hey, that was my Dad who called when you were chatting to Archie, guess who's gonna come in and see you shortly?"

He shrugged one shoulder obviously remembering his sore ribs.

"Rufio, Tiger Lily and Rapha. They've moved closer to town so Rapha can go to school and Rufio was keen to come in and see you after my Dad bumped into them while out and about and he found out you were still in here."

Hook gave a wide smile and a thumbs up before grabbing his iPad.

"Can you assist me in using the facilities please, then I would very much like to sit up in the chair for their arrival"

"No problem Captain, how about we get some eyeliner on you when you get back, I miss those smoldering eyes" she gave him a sexy look which he returned with gusto, he was such a dork sometimes.

Her Dad was right, she needed to keep his mind busy in a whole lot of positive ways. As far as she was concerned Devin's voice was not going to be able to get to him again, she would do everything she could to keep her dorky Pirate Captain upbeat and positive, he was making such good progress that there was talk that he'd maybe get home the day before Christmas Eve and she just couldn't let ANYTHING get in the way of that.


	57. Chapter 57

**Not long now 'til our Hook is home with his family, a few more therapy sessions and hopefully he'll be out of hospital for Christmas.**

 **So the reviews have dropped right off again, a special shout out should go to "andria" who has reviewed pretty much every chapter... thank you, it means a lot to know that people are still enjoying my story.**

 **Anyway, a wee bit of Hook then some outside world goings on... that storm is causing havoc!**

It had worked, Hook was sleeping. Emma had noticed that he was in pain again when she had helped him into the recliner, he had paled considerably and gave a gasp as she lowered him down, obviously something was hurting him but he refused to admit it just saying that he was fine. She knew that he wanted to see Rufio but she was concerned he was overdoing it and that he was going to set his recovery back if he wasn't careful.

She convinced him to listen to some music until his visitors arrived telling him that she had police stuff to do, she didn't but she sat at her desk moving papers about while watching him out of the corner of her eye and she was right, within minutes he was sleeping, head tipped forward, chin on chest. She crept over and slowly reclined the chair back a bit further, his head lolled to the side and for a minute she froze as he stirred but his breathing evened out again and he slept on.

She pulled his blankets up around his shoulders and dropped a kiss on his cheek, he looked so tired. His cheek bones were more prominent than before, a month of being fed through a tube had done nothing to maintain a healthy weight on him, he still had about twenty pounds to regain. He was normally what you'd describe as chiseled, slim with good muscle tone but now he mostly just looked gaunt. They were going to start trying him on more solid food in a few days and Whale had suggested adding protein shakes into his diet, he seemed to quite like them so it was easy enough to do, she just hoped he started to regain weight soon.

Emma looked at the clock noting that it was nearly four. She'd need to keep an eye out for Rufio and meet him in the corridor so that she could let Hook sleep for at least half an hour. Walking over to the window she saw Ruby striding through the snow holding on to Henry's arm. That was a surprise, she wasn't expecting Henry to be coming too, Ruby usually arrived sometime around now with their evening meals but she was usually alone. They both waved enthusiastically at her and she grinned back, waving her hand in return.

A few minutes later they stood whispering to each other as Emma hugged Henry close to her side.

"It's so good to see you Kid but what are you doing here?" she asked her Son

"Grandpa called Grandma earlier and told her that Rapha was coming to visit Killian, I wanted to come too but Grandma didn't want to take Neal out into the cold..."

"So I volunteered to bring him with me" Ruby beamed "David's going to take him home later after his visit, it's probably going to be a while before he gets here though. We walked past the Rabbit Hole on the way here and it's a mess. The dwarves are moving a lot of the stock using sledges, Granny said they could store it in our cellar until they are ready to take it back, the scene is quite funny actually, seven dwarves pulling sled-fulls of beer and other beverages along the main street, if those dwarves aren't drunk within a few hours I'll eat my hat" she gave a chuckle

In all the commotion of Ruby and Henry's arrival she had forgotten to keep an eye out for the others and as she found herself laughing along with Ruby the door pushed open and Rapha's head peaked through.

"Hey Kid" she whispered raising her finger in a shushing motion, Rapha got the idea and turned to do the same to the other two before they entered the room. Hugs were dealt with and jackets were shed before Rufio left the room to find more chairs. Hook was going to be so happy when he awoke, he had lots of visitors and Granny had made him up a pasta dish, it had slightly more substance to it than his usual soup but was still soft enough not to do damage to his throat and he had another peanut butter smoothie, he would be pleased.

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David pulled up outside The Rabbit Hole, it was absolute chaos. He jumped from the cab of his truck to the sound of yelling.

"You are so going to pay for it" Bill the owner shouted, he stood with his hands on his hips staring straight at Leroy

"Listen Brother, we didn't do nuthin' " Leroy was bright red in the face and looked like he was ready for a fight, taking a step forward.

"HEY GUYS..." David shouted louder than the bickering men "What's going on?"

Both men started yelling at once and he still didn't know what was going on!

"ONE AT A TIME... Right Leroy" he pointed to the dwarf

"This idiot is sayin' that we took a case of his best whiskey but we ain't done nuthin' other than try to help him, we ain't no thieves" Leroy growled

"There were five cases here, now there are only four, you do the math" Bill said in an accusing tone.

Chaos erupted again as Leroy launched forward cursing the man.

"THAT'S ENOUGH" David barged between the two men "Bill, you show me your receipts and we'll go check, if the whiskey is missing I'll take a formal statement AND INVESTIGATE" he had to shout the last part as Leroy started to protest his innocence once more.

"LEROY, will you shut up for two minutes" David was getting annoyed now, he didn't think the dwarves would do this but something wasn't right and Leroy had been known as the town drunk for a long time, if it was missing he'd have to investigate it fully no matter where it led.

"Well, uhm" Bill looked awkward "Maybe I was mistaken" he added

"What? You expect me to buy that after you just accused my Deputy of theft? Come on spit it out... What's really going on?" David pressed him.

"I don't exactly have invoices for them, a man did me a deal on them..." he trailed off at David's look.

"So what you're telling me is, you were claiming a case of your best whiskey had gone missing when it hadn't. Were you trying to get money out of the people helping you?! That's low even for you... Then you expected me to believe that the man I trust enough to be my Deputy stole a case of whiskey from you. When pushed you then change your mind about how many cases there were and then finally basically just admitted that they were illegal too" He'd enough of this.

"Who sold you the whiskey?" David took out his note book

"I'd rather not say" Bill whispered

"Well when all is said and done I'd rather be at home in the warm but here I am standing with you so we don't always get what we want" David was beyond annoyed now, he'd get the truth or so help him Bill would spend the night in a jail cell.

"I can't say" Bill looked nervous, his eyes flicked up and looked at Gold's shop down the street

"Gold" David finally understood

"I didn't say that" Bill said quickly

"You didn't need to" David replied "You know if you don't tell me, you're leaving me with no choice but to lock you up for the night. Selling fake alcohol is an offense that could carry a jail sentence"

Bill looked defeated but just repeated "I can't" before looking at the ground in shame.

"Leroy, can you finish up here? I need to book Bill in at the station. Sorry, you've left me no choice" he gave Leroy a pat on the shoulder to show his confidence in his ability to do his job then led Bill towards his truck.

"Hi-Ho boys, back to work we go" David heard Leroy command as he bundled Bill into the passenger side of the cab. The dwarf definitely had a way of getting things done and no matter what anyone had said he knew that the man was no thief.


	58. Chapter 58

**Only one review away from 200... woooo hoooo**

 **For the people thinking that the story is moving slowly, you are right, it is. There is a reason for it just trust me, it's called building a picture for things to come, things will become clearer starting right now :D**

His mind was racing, there were so many voices whizzing around in his head, all conflicting each other, he could hear them taunting then praising, encouraging then berating, it was so confusing. Images skipped in his brain, Devin's sneering face, the flash of a blade, Henry's hopeful smile and his Swan... his beautiful Swan right by his side. The voices were leaving now, all he could see was her, she was all he needed, her voice was like an angel from above, she sat surrounded by a golden glow, she opened her mouth to say something and he listened intently.

"Pass the ketchup!"

What? That couldn't be right. What in the blazes? As he tried to concentrate on her face it started to dissipate in front of his very eyes and he awoke to find himself lying on Emma's recliner looking out into his hospital room. Emma herself sat with a whole group of people over by her desk, they seemed to be eating, sharing out fries by the look of it. He smiled to himself as he watched them, they obviously hadn't noticed him wakening. They were happy, laughing and giggling in whispered tones as Henry stood with two fries dipped in ketchup tucked under his top lip doing an impression of a vampire for Rapha who seemed to find it hilarious.

The change in Rapha was plain to see, he looked happy and relaxed. He had a bit more weight on his bones, regular meals obviously doing the lad good. The smell of the food was overwhelming and as if to remind him that it had been several hours since his last meal his stomach gave a growl. Killian reached out to the chair controls and gave a grunt in pain, his back and hip were sore and no matter how he sat or lay it didn't seem to help. He tried not to show it to Emma, she had enough to worry about, he'd just work through it, it would surely get better as he got stronger but she must have heard him as her head popped up with a look of concern etched across it, she was up and moving in seconds.

"Hey, let me help you" she soothed.

"Th'nk y'" he managed to reply

She adjusted the chair so that he was more upright giving him a look of concern.

"You're in pain Killian, please tell me what it is, I hate to see you like this" she kept her voice low so the others couldn't hear.

The use of his given name was too much, she probably did it on purpose, he couldn't deal with it when she looked at him that way, he gave a deep sigh.

"My b'ck 'nd hip" he croaked out

"I knew it" she said in a concerned tone "You need to take your stronger meds, I know you don't like them but this is too much to do just using Tylenol. Promise me that you'll look after yourself better from now on, I want you home for Christmas but there is no point in pushing yourself too hard, you'll just end up having to stay here longer, is that what you want?"

"No" he said in an almost pleading tone

"Well will you just trust me when I say you'll get on better with your stronger meds?" she questioned

"Aye" he finally relented

"Good, now are you ready to eat? Granny has made you pasta."

He grinned at her, he had no idea what pasta was but right now he would have been willing to eat the lining of his best jacket, he was so hungry. Ruby appeared in front of him seconds later with a bowl of the most delicious smelling food he had smelt in a long time. He picked up the spoon that she placed in front of him immediately, eager to get stuck in. She had barely placed the bowl down when he dug the spoon in and practically threw the food into his mouth giving a groan of pleasure as he swallowed it down.

"I wish all our customers appreciated our food as much as you do" Ruby said with a laugh

"G'd" he managed to say between mouthfuls

"I'm glad you like it" she beamed back.

It was gone in a matter of minutes, his stomach satisfied that it didn't need to consume itself anymore as he sat sipping on his smoothie, the others all settled around him. Emma had brought his meds and he had reluctantly taken them, he hated how they pulled him back into sleep much too quickly, he wanted to see his friends but the need to please Emma and get home for Christmas was much greater than everything else.

The others chatted about the goings on around town, he was happy just to listen, too tired to concentrate on typing on his iPad although occasionally he threw in a word or too to stay in the conversation but before long the pull of the meds was too strong and he slipped back into sleep, leaving the others whispering once more.

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Emma watched as Hook fell back into sleep again, he needed it, he was emotionally and physically exhausted. She would need to let Whale know that his back was giving him pain, not that it was surprising after what he'd been through, lying in bed all that time then having to compensate for his sore hip while walking was bound to have an effect on it.

Tiger Lily had cleared up the remnants of their meal and now stood at the bottom of Hook's bed staring out the window. Emma walked over.

"What you thinking?"

"I am thinking that my life has changed so much in such a short time" she turned with a smile and looked at Rufio and Rapha as they sat deep in conversation with Henry on the other side of the room.

"Yeah, I can understand that. When Henry came and found me I literally thought I was just bringing him home then going back to my comfortable life but this town had other ideas... it kinda takes hold of you and seeps into your soul. It's a good place to call home you know?"

"I am seeing that, for the longest time myself and Rufio lived outside the bounds of your town, we were suspicious of strangers and feared that Peter would one day find us but you have shown us that we no longer need to hide." Tiger Lily paused looking at Rapha

"He has come on such a lot in such a short time, your Mother has been helping him with his schooling. She says that he has a condition that makes it hard for him to read and write but by using certain techniques that we can all help him to do better. He seems so much more confident now, in such a short time, it warms my heart. He has made Rufio happier than I can ever remember seeing him and for those things alone I am beyond grateful to the good Captain" she nodded her head at the sleeping Pirate.

They moved over to the group and sat down to join in the conversation. Time passed quickly as they all sat chatting, it was comfortable and easy and Emma found herself enjoying herself immensely. Eventually the door to the room opened and her Dad walked in smiling widely at the room full of people.

"Grandpa!" Henry jumped up to hug him

"Hey Kid" he replied ruffling his hair.

They sat for a while catching up until Emma noticed Rufio give David a nod of his head then turned to her to do the same. He got up and walked to the door, she got up and followed leaving the boys and Ruby playing a game of cards at Hook's side as he slept on. Ruby met her eyes and gave a nod of understanding, she'd keep the boys entertained.

"What's up?" she said the minute the door closed behind her

"I never got a chance earlier to tell you what I found" Rufio started first looking at David then to Emma "I think we found one of the Lost One's old hideouts at our new place, when we moved in it was obvious that people had been staying there but after I spoke with you earlier Tiger Lily found this in the attic"

He looked nervous and he brought his satchel around from his back and took something out, he held it in his hands for a few seconds before lifting it up. There in his hands was an action figure dressed in black, it's left hand had been pulled off and a photo of Hook, obviously cut out from an old newspaper article has been stuck on it's face but that wasn't the worst part, it has a small rope tied around it's neck in a tiny noose.

"It was hanging from the rafters and we also found this..." he dug in the bag again

As if the figure hadn't been bad enough there had to be more. She watched in shock as Rufio pulled a scrap book out and handed it to her, she opened it and looked in horror at the details inside, it was obviously Devin's diary. It was almost too much as she read parts, it started not long after they had returned from Neverland, she flicked through the pages taking in the drawings, newspaper articles and other bits and pieces. He had written EVERYTHING down, how he had felt about all that he and the others had been done and it turned Emma's stomach, she shoved the book at her Dad.

"I'm sorry, I can't" was all she said.

"Emma, I think you're missing the point" Rufio said in a serious tone

She was confused, she got the point, that kid was a psycho and she was glad that he was gone.

"Look at the last entry" he said to David

She watched as her Dad did as he was instructed and his face fell, eyes going wide.

"Emma, He's still alive... this lat part was written AFTER he went in the water!"


	59. Chapter 59

**YAY 200 review, Thank you all so much.**

 **So now you all know that Devin is indeed still alive we can carry on with the story, our Pirate will be home soon, I promise :D**

Emma had not wanted to tell Hook but David didn't know if he could keep that secret, he stood looking at the sleeping Pirate debating whether or not he should wake him to tell him of the latest news. Emma had gone with the others to walk the them down to the main doors to say goodnight, looking just to stretch her legs for a while too. Hook needed to know. How could he be prepared for anything if he thought Devin was dead?

David also wished it to be morning, he was going to go and see Jensen and the other Lost Ones at the detention center, Jensen was transferred there yesterday and David was determined he was going to get a list of their past hiding places... one way or another.

He made his decision, if it were him he'd want to know so he stepped forward and gently shook Hook's shoulder. The Pirates eyes shot open in surprise, not used to being woken, generally just left to wake up by himself he obviously didn't know what was going on.

"It's only me, I don't have time to explain anything other than what I have to tell you, Emma will be back any minute and she didn't want you to know" he rushed out

Hook looked bewildered and confused but reached to move his chair into a better position, David was quicker, grabbing the controls and sitting the Pirate up.

"Right listen up Pirate, Devin is still alive... Don't ask me how or where he is or any other questions I don't have answers to. I just needed you to know so that you could be prepared IF anything were to happen. We have made a plan, you are NEVER to be left by yourself and when we go about our day to day business we do it in at least pairs. I'm going to speak to the rest of the Lost Ones tomorrow and see if their loyalties have changed any since they think Devin is dead, get them to tell me their past hiding places. Maybe just maybe we'll get lucky and find him in one of them. He has to be cold and hungry by now, everything is stacked against him so I'm pretty sure that we have the upper hand."

Hook looked like he had a million questions then just sat blinking into space, mouth slightly agape as David rushed through what he was saying. He eventually looked David in the eye and said.

"OK, I w'll be ready IF 't h'pp'ns"

"Good, that's all I wanted. You can't tell Emma that I told you, she will literally kill me"

Hook nodded his head then picked up his iPad, quickly typing

"Thank you for telling me, I feel happier knowing the truth. I had a feeling that we had not seen the last of that hellion but now it has been confirmed we can all be ready. Do not worry about me Mate, I am done letting that boy into my head, he can't hurt me anymore. We are much greater as a team, the whole town is united and he is only one, we will find him and he will pay for all he has done"

Hook gave him a serious look as he deleted his last comment so that Emma could not see.

"Right, back to pretending to be asleep before she comes back, I don't want her thinking we've been talking" David grabbed the controls and lay the chair back covering Hook back up with his blankets before nervously sticking his hands in the back pockets of his jeans.

"Uhm OK, you pretend to be asleep, I'm going to the bathroom until I hear her coming back in, best she thinks I wasn't even in the room"

He took off leaving the Pirate to get comfortable once more and hid in the bathroom, he wasn't scared of Emma per say but if she found out what he had done she would tell Mary-Margaret and she would make his life hell, so in the bathroom he would hide.

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Killian could hear her sneaking back into the room with Henry, he tried his best to look like he was still sleeping. His mind was reeling, he had never fully believed that Devin was truly gone and now he knew for sure that he wasn't he was all the more determined to get up on his feet as soon as possible. He needed to get out of here, he couldn't protect his family if they were at home and he and Emma were stuck in this room.

Emma sat on the end of his bed, he could tell by the noise as it creaked when she settled. Henry had gone over to Emma's desk where David seemed to have headed when he returned to the room. Killian drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly giving a stretch as he opened his eyes, Emma was looking right at him, her face a picture of worry. He had to ask her what was wrong, she would be suspicious otherwise. He quickly turned his smile into a frown and asked

"Wh't's wr'ng?"

She immediately smiled and scooted off the bed coming up to his side.

"Nothing, I was just thinking that's all. It was nice to see Rapha looking so good, right?"

He grabbed his iPad

"Aye Love, he is looking much healthier. He is a good Lad, he deserved a better life than living on the streets with a group of demons. I would have liked to have stayed awake longer to hear more of how he is doing at school. Perhaps when we get home we could have them over for some dinner or such like?"

"That sounds like a great idea, my Mom will love that, she loves cooking big meals and this could be the perfect excuse, you're a genius" she dropped a kiss onto his lips

David decided it was time to leave not long after, promising that he would be back in the morning after Killian's therapy session. The snow was supposed to have moved on so the dwarves were keen to get the roads cleared as soon as possible.

David gave him a meaningful look as he hugged Emma and he got the message, he gave David a thumbs up which turned into a "scratching behind the ear" move as Emma suddenly pulled back and looked at him, he gave her a soft smile and she seemed to buy it. That had been close!

As Emma hugged her Son goodnight he took up his iPad going into the selection of movies that they had available on Emma's "cloud", he still wasn't sure how they could be stored in a cloud but he just went with it, he knew what to press to make them play and at the end of the day that was all that mattered. He had a look through, wanting something upbeat and funny. He may have told David that he was done with Devin's voice in his head but it seemed Devin's voice had other ideas. He could hear the whispers starting to build and knew he had to stop them quickly before it turned into something else entirely. He looked down the list of films available, his eyes stopping on "Back to the Future", why did that sound familiar? He clicked on it and read the description. "Marty McFly" was he not the wizard Emma had referred to when they traveled back in time to the Enchanted Forrest? Now he was intrigued.

"What ya doing?" Emma said coming back to his side

He turned the iPad for her to see and said

"Early n'ght 'nd moovee?" giving her his best silly smile

"Sure, let's get you sorted first. Bathroom, wash, brush your teeth then bed. Come on Pirate, hop to it" she grinned

Emma pulled his blanket from his legs and threw it onto the bed before helping him to his feet. He was happy to note that the pain in his back and hip was much less than it had been, maybe Emma did know what was best for him he thought as he hobbled his way across the floor.

A few minutes later he was settled back into his bed, Emma got changed into her pajamas and settled into her usual spot on his left after having turned off the lights. As they settled down to watch the movie he let out a sigh, bringing his breathing back under control. Emma was by his side and he was fine, the voice in his head was not going to get a chance to take hold, he wouldn't let it. In the end he needn't have worried, he got so engrossed in the movie that nothing else even had a chance to get in his head and when it finished he grinned widely at Emma.

She grabbed the iPad and flicked a few things around on the screen

"This is the second movie, this one is my favorite. You can watch this last one then it's bed time" she said with a yawn

He pulled her close into his side and dropped a kiss on the crown of her head, he never saw the whole thing falling asleep somewhere back in 1955 but the movie had worked it's magic even if this Marty McFly was no wizard, Killian slept peacefully the only voices in his head were from the dream world and an exclamation of "Great Scott" occasionally thrown in for good measure.


	60. Chapter 60

**Let's get some info out of these Lost Ones shall we, David is ready to kick some butt.**

 **Also as much as Hook tries to convince himself and everyone else that he's got control of his panic attacks sometimes in life there are things that take a bit longer to master... Poor Killian finds that out today!**

David watched the boys in the other room through the one way glass in the youth detention center, a place that had had to be created from a wing of the main jail block specifically for these boys. He had decided to try his plan on Tootles, he was after all the weak link in the group. Even as he stood watching the boys interact Tootles seemed to be a beat behind the conversation, David could work with that.

The guard entered the room and indicated for Tootles to follow him. He got up and all the other Lost Ones jeered and yelled as he walked to the door, a huge grin split his face as he went, he definitely needed their guidance on how he was supposed to act.

David quickly moved to sit down at the table, deliberately keeping his back to the see through window so that Tootles would have no choice but to sit facing the other boys. Seconds later the door opened and Tootles walked through, smile faltering slightly as his eyes fell on David sitting before him.

"Sit" was all David said as he pointed at the chair closest to the boy.

Tootles moved slowly but sat down none the less, sighing loudly as he settled in the chair.

"You get one chance at this "Tootz" don't mess it up" he said cryptically

Tootles looked confused then his bravado kicked in

"I ain't gotta do nothin'..."

David cut him off "Don't do that." he paused for dramatic emphasis "Just listen to me for one minute."

Tootles crossed his arms in front of him and rolled his eyes.

"You think you're being smart, you think that it's what they'd expect you do do" he pointed with his thumb over his shoulder.

Tootles gaze shifted from David to the other room for the first time, grinning widely. He obviously didn't understand the concept of a one way glass and thought the boys could see him like he could see them so when they didn't grin back at him his face fell slightly.

"They don't care about you. I am giving you one LAST chance to do something for yourself. I want you to help me. Devin is gone, you know that, right?"

The boy just sat staring at the table now, unwilling to meet his eyes.

"I am giving you the opportunity at a shorter time in jail where you will also get help to be a better person. I have a training program where you can learn how to be a Forrest Ranger which means that you get to leave here each day, in the care of Rufio to learn all that goes with the job. It means that when you complete your sentence you will be able to have a life free of crime. Is that something that you want?"

The boy looked torn, his eyes moving back to the other room.

"Do you want me to prove that you mean nothing to them?" David asked, standing up and going to the window and waiting for the reply

Tootles looked shocked but then his bravado was back in a second. He sat up straighter and said with attitude

"Go on then, prove it if you can" he gave a smug smile obviously thinking him a fool.

David turned back to the glass, he pressed a button on the wall that was connected to a speaker in the other room and spoke.

"This is Sheriff David Nolan speaking" he started but the boys all just jumped up to their feet and jeered at his voice, they had no idea where the sound was coming from though and just yelled into the air. The guard burst back through the door with a few others in tow and with some assistance the boys were quickly seated again. David carried on.

"I have some news that affects all of you. Tootz has had an accident and I don't know when he'll be returning." he hoped to God that he got the reaction that he was waiting for

Jensen stood up and grinned widely

"Good, I'm fed up having to babysit that idiot, keep him away as long as you like. In fact if you want to keep him away permanently that would suit us just fine"

The others all yelled and cheered in agreement.

David let go of the button and turned back to the boy who was now sitting open mouthed in front of him.

"You see? They have no loyalty. They don't care about you but with time this town will learn to accept you, especially if you help us now. When Hook first arrived here no one would give him the time of day but when it came to his time to make his choice he did the right thing. It took a lot for him to do it and I'll admit that I was skeptical that he could be a better person but he has proved time and time again that he is worth our trust. You want to be part of something? You want to be accepted for who you are not who THEY expect to you to be? Trust me, I can help you... but only if you help me, help US first"

He stared hopefully at the boy, Tootles' inner battle was written all over his face but eventually he looked up, tears on his lashes.

"I thought they cared about me but they don't, they were the same when they heard about Devin... I was the same. I don't want to be like that anymore. I want to feel like I belong, I want to stop having to look over my shoulder all the time... I just want to be liked." a tear slid down his face

"All of that is possible Tootles, trust me. I want to help you. Will you help me?"

The boy nodded his head slowly, scrubbing the tears from his cheek with the sleeve of his sweatshirt.

"What do you want me to do?"

David was ecstatic inside but kept his features calm, he had done it, he FINALLY would be getting some answers. Hopefully this was the thing that would help them get the upper hand. He moved back to the table and sat back down.

"I just want you to tell me the truth Kid, that's all I want"

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Hook stood in the chest deep water grinning like an idiot, he was standing on his own for the first time. Emma was just off to his side ready to grab him if she needed to but he looked pretty stable. He had spent the last twenty minutes walking back and forth across the pool, using floats to keep him upright and she could see in his face that he was tired but this was the first he'd smiled all morning. She'd been worried that he was struggling again, he had been too quiet... well metaphorically anyway but right now he looked like he was ready to sing from the roof tops.

"I did it" he said in wonder

"Yeah ya did" she grinned back

As if on cue his knee buckled and he lurched forward but Emma was quick to grab him into her arms. He pulled her in close and kissed her lovingly once she'd helped him back to his feet.

"I think you've had enough for one day, you've done really well. Come on, lie back, I'll tow you over to the hoist" she motioned for him to turn around

He shuffled his feet then lent back letting his legs bob up to the surface into a dead man's float. Emma slipped her hands beneath his head and whispered

"Relax for a minute, they're not quite ready yet"

She watched as he closed his eyes and the tension flowed from his body, she knew that he was in need of some sleep. She'd get him back to bed, get him his lunch then he could have a couple of hours before her Dad arrived. He bobbed up and down in her hands, she smiled to herself as his breathing started to even out, he was going to nod off if she didn't get him moving soon. Without thinking she brought one of her hands up and cupped it under his chin to help her tow him in but in an instant she realized her mistake as his hand and stump both flew to his throat and he disappeared beneath the surface in his panic to get away.

Emma didn't have time to think she lunged forward and grabbed hold of the flailing Pirate just below the surface and pulled him up. He gasped in huge lungfuls of air through his coughs but Emma realized quickly that something was wrong as he continued to claw at his throat, he was breathing far too quickly and his eyes had a glazed hint to them . Shit he was having a panic attack, she had done this, this was her fault. He was on his feet now but he was still struggling to get away from her obviously not here in this moment.

"NOOOOOO...OOOOOO" he screamed voice disappearing with the strain on his vocal chords.

The therapists both turned at his yells, immediately reading between lines and realizing what was happening. Both were in the water in seconds and it was just as well because in the next beat of her frantic heart Hook's elbow connected with her left cheek and she was flung back into the water, stunned for a moment she just floated beneath the surface until her mind unscrambled what had just happened. Panic immediately hit her, Hook wouldn't be able to stay above the water by himself, she pulled herself back to the surface and her worst nightmare was realized, he was no where to be seen. She turned her head quickly scanning the water to see where he was just as the two therapists broke the surface with him held limply between them. They were moving as one in seconds towing him to the side of the pool, he was yanked up unceremoniously on to the hard poolside tiles. Emma clawed her way out of the pool and dropped down next to his side just as Jenny dropped her lips to his and puffed a breath into his water filled lungs. There was no pause like the last time, the time that Emma had had to do this in a freezing cold yard outside Zelena's farm house. This time he shot straight up water spewing from his mouth like a fountain but he didn't stop there he was obviously still not back in reality, he was still stuck in his head with that damn voice tormenting him.

"Let m' go" he croaked as he weakly struggled in their firm grip

"HOOK" Emma yelled "You need to calm down, don't let him win. Come on you can do it, hear my voice, listen to me not to Devin, listen to me"

She could see a glint of recognition in his face at the sound of her voice and he relaxed a tiny bit.

"That's it, hear me, listen to my voice not his, come back to me, come on Pirate I know you can do it... Please Killian, come back to me, I'm so sorry"

He slumped into her embrace and she hugged him tightly, afraid to let him go. Emma gently rocked him back and forth whispering in his ear the whole time, he needed her voice to bring him back. Slowly his breathing settled and eventually they lowered him to lie back down. He was giving long languid blinks now but his chest still gave the occasional lurch, no where near as badly as it had been before but enough to keep Emma worried. Jenny had made a call at some point and after a few minutes two orderlies wheeled in a gurney. Hook was gently lifted up and settled on the soft mattress, they moved quickly and he was engulfed in blankets, he had started to shiver, a common side effect of his attacks.

"He's going to be OK Emma" Jenny said handing her a towel to wrap around herself

Emma hadn't realized that tears were streaming down her face until that point, she wiped the tears away with it wincing at the sting under her eye.

"Let me look at that" Jenny said with concern

"I'm fine, I gotta go with him"

Emma struggled out of Jenny's grasp and dashed after her Pirate wrapping the towel around herself, she should have been self conscious as she walked through the corridors in her bikini but right now she just didn't care, she just wanted to make sure Hook was alright. She had done this, this was her fault, he had drowned right by her side because she was stupid. Who puts their hand around the throat of someone who has recently been strangled? No one, that's who, yet she'd done it with no thought for the consequences. She was an idiot!


	61. Chapter 61

**OH... EM... GEEEEEEE... The new episode was amazing.**

 **I would like to ask people not to post spoilers in the comments, I don't live in the USA and can't watch along with everyone else, I have to stay away from social media until I've watched and someone unintentionally spoiled a part of it for me in their comment, the comment has been deleted as I don't want it to happen to anyone else, just be mindful that not everyone is in the same time zone or even the same country.**

 **Anyway let's get on with the story**

 **Poor Hook just can't seem to catch a break... he is gonna feel awful when he finds out what he has done to Emma!**

 **Just a quick update as I don't know if I'll get a chance to do one tonight :D**

Emma stood frozen to the spot just inside the door of Hook's room. She clutched the towel around her shoulders and watched as Whale worked quickly. Hook's blankets were thrown back, he was stripped of his wet swim wear and hastily shifted from the gurney to his bed, they left him as he was, no time to dress him in their hurry to get him treated. His bedding was pulled up around his shoulders as he lay shivering, eyes screwed up in pain.

"I want obs ASAP and 30mg of Codeine administered " Whale yelled out before turning to the Pirate "Hook, you need to look at me, come on open your eyes"

Hook opened his eyes obviously trying his best to follow what Whale was saying.

"Great, do you know where you are?" he asked

Hooks eyes flitted around his room before he returned them to Whale and gave a jerky nod.

"Good, do you remember what happened?"

No hesitation this time, he just shook his head quickly, eyes looking lost.

"You had a panic attack in the pool after your treatment. You took some water into your lungs so we need to make sure that you are alright, taking in even a small amount of water can be dangerous up to several hours later so right now we need to put you on some oxygen. Now, I can use a mask if you think you can handle that, it may feel a bit claustrophobic over your face, especially after your attack or I can try a nasal cannula, that's a small tube that goes beneath your nose. The mask is much more efficient if you can manage it, you'll probably have to wear it for less time. What do you think, do you want to try the mask?"

Hook closed his eyes against a particularly fierce shiver but managed to nod his head.

"You are shivering both due to your core temperature lowering when you took the water in and from your attack, we are going to bring you a heated blanket in just a second hopefully that will help. You need to get some sleep, you will feel much better when you wake up. I've given you some pain medication so you should start to feel the effects of that shortly. I don't want this setting you back so we need to get you up on your feet as soon as you've had a rest, lying down in bed is the worst thing to do after a near drowning, it can lead to all kinds of complications including pneumonia. I want you to do some light walking around the corridors but do not let yourself get cold, we need to find a good balance here."

Whale talked quickly to Hook but turned to Emma to make sure that she was listening too, she gave him a nod and he turned back to the pirate in a instant. He had managed to connect a mask up to the oxygen supply.

"OK Hook, I'm about to pull the mask on, are you ready?"

She watched as Hook eyed the mask suspiciously for a moment then gave the Doctor a curt nod.

"Good Man, let's get this done" he moved quickly and had it in place in seconds. A nurse arrived carrying the warming blanket which was promptly spread over the top of Hook's normal bedding.

"Now get some sleep, I want you to get at least a few hours of good rest then we'll see how you're going" Whale said giving Hook a pat on the shoulder

He walked towards Emma as she still stood wrapped in the towel in her bare feet staring at the bed.

"You OK?" he asked in a concerned tone

"I'm fine" was all she replied

"No, Miss Swan, you are not, you are shaking. Come on, let's sit you down" he took hold of her elbow and led her to the chair at her desk pulling it out for her to sit on.

He crouched down in front of her but she couldn't pull her eyes from the now sleeping Pirate.

"Hey, he'll be OK. Let me have a look at your face. What happened?"

She turned to look at his concerned face, he really wasn't a bad man. He'd done so much for Hook in the last few weeks she figured that he deserved a break, she would normally just tell him that she was OK but he did look genuine with his concern so she sighed deeply before answering.

"I took an elbow to the face"

He winced, then took her chin in his fingers moving her head to the side to get a better look. He then ran his fingers along the underside of her eye before giving her a soft smile, it hurt and she winced at the pressure.

"Sorry" he said quickly "You'll probably have quite a black eye in the morning but there doesn't seem to be anything broken. I suggest that you take a shower, get into some bed clothes and get some rest, Hook will be sleeping for sometime, you look like you need to join him."

He stood quickly "Come on, I'll have one of the nurses stay with him until you're done, no arguments" he added as she was about to do just that.

With great reluctance she did as she was told mumbling to herself the whole time.

Settling into her bed a while later, she felt exhausted but most of all she just felt guilty, she had put her hands on Hook's throat and he had nearly drowned because of her stupidity. She lay tossing and turning for what seemed like an eternity before huffing out a breath, turning on to her back and staring at the ceiling.

"Swan?" she heard his muffled voice through the mask on his face.

She was up and over at his side in seconds.

"Hey, how you doing?" she asked stroking the hair from his forehead

"Tired" he answered "and lonely" he added with a small smile before he pulled his blankets back and patted his stump on the mattress in a clear indication that he wanted her to join him. She climbed in next to him, tucking herself into her usual space by his side.

"I'm sorry" he whispered

"What? You have nothing to be sorry for" she said turning her face to look up into his eyes

He brought his hand up and cupped her face, rubbing his thumb over her sore cheekbone, he gave a look of pure sorrow before bringing his hand up to his own face and pulling his mask down under his chin.

"My fault" he said his eyes dropping to her bruised face, he must have remembered what happened.

"Killian, it's OK. It was an accident, you didn't know what was going on. This is all my fault, I should have known better than to grab you anywhere near your throat, I am stupid and I am so..."

He cut her off when he pulled her into a searing kiss and instantly she relaxed, melting into him, he always knew just what to do when things seemed bad. He eventually pulled back a little breathless but gave her a wide smile.

"We make quite a pair" Emma laughed "Now put that mask back on, I want to get some sleep"

He did as he was told before pulling her tight to his side and laying the side of his head on the top of hers letting out a long sigh.

"Sweet dreams" she whispered as she settled down, sleep came quickly in the warmth of his heated bed, she'd have to get one of these blankets for herself she thought as she drifted off.


	62. Chapter 62

**Watched the season premier again... I love it so much. Cannot wait to find out how everything is going to be resolved.**

 **Back to this story.**

Killian lay staring into the empty room, he had woken some time ago and had found himself trapped by his bedding, somehow the blankets had become twisted and caught beneath him on one side and Emma currently gripped the other side tightly under her chin. He had considered trying to untie himself but didn't want to disturb his still slumbering Princess so he just lay there bored out of his skull.

He was in desperate need of a drink too, the mask thing over his face was making his mouth very dry and as much as he tried to ignore it he was failing miserably. He huffed out a sigh, Gods, this was torture. He tried to think of something else. His eyes flicked to the clock, Whale would surely be coming back soon then he'd be able to ask him to help him get a drink...and he was back to thinking about it again!

Right, think of something else. He was keen to get out of bed again after this morning's set back, before the obvious had happened he'd actually managed to stand by himself in the water, that was a huge step towards standing by himself out of the water. He was determined to get right back to it, he had more than had enough of this hospital room and wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

"You're pathetic Pirate, you'll never get out of here" Devin's voice popped into his head

His heartbeat picked up a beat so he pulled in a breath and held it. Determined that he wasn't going to listen, the voice was always worse after one of his attacks but he was learning to control his breathing and concentrate on another voices instead, a positive one. Normally the voice that jumped into help him was Henry but this time it was Swan.

"Shut up Devin, you don't know anything. This Pirate can do anything he wants and nothing you say is going to change that fact"

He actually smiled at that, she always had his back. Devin had seemed to listen too as the silence rang out around him but all of a sudden it was too quiet, he wished that he had his music playing, at least then he would have something to concentrate on. He automatically started to sing his favorite song in his head, it was one of the ones from David's "For Hook's Ears Only" playlist and he just felt connected to it. As it played in his mind Emma's voice popped back into his thoughts and his eyes sprang open in surprise at her words.

"I love you Killian Jones, do you hear me you stubborn Pirate? I, Emma Swan am in love with you Killian Jones, now it's up to you to get better so that I can hear you say those words back to me, I want to hear them Killian. More than anything else in the world."

Where had that come from? He closed his eyes again and concentrated hard. The words niggled in his head, had he heard them before or was his brain just supplying the words he wished with his whole heart to hear? His mind was stumbling from scene to scene until it screamed to a halt, he was lying in an another room, in so much pain. Swan was at his side, she was apologizing to him for making him leave after their argument and he could her hear clearly saying the words that he had just heard in his head. She HAD said them, they came from Emma, he just hadn't remembered until now. The grin that appeared on his face hurt his still recovering jaw but he didn't care, his Swan loved him and that was all that mattered... that and getting a drink, Gods, he was still so thirsty!

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

David was practically running along the corridor, he was bursting to tell Emma and Hook what he'd managed to do but the smile fell from his face the moment he burst through the door and saw the sight before him. Hook and Emma were both in Hook's bed which in itself was nothing unusual but they had what looked like some kind of space blanket wrapped around them and the oxygen mask on the Pirate's face was hard to miss. His stomach dropped, what had happened? Had Devin been back?

He stood staring, unsure what to do? Should he go ask Whale what was going on? Then he suddenly realized that Hook was awake. He was moving again in an instant.

"What the hell happened?" he practically yelled

"Shhhhhhhh"

Did Hook just shush him? He watched as the Pirate tried to bring his hand up but he seemed to be struggling. He seemed to be trapped by his own bedding, Good God the man was an idiot. David lent forward and pulled the end of the blanket out from under the Pirate's back freeing his arm instantly. Hook brought his freed hand up and removed the mask from his face.

He tried to speak but instantly fell into a coughing fit instead, if he had been trying to ensure that Emma remained sleeping a moment before he had just failed dramatically as she jumped up the second he started to cough.

Emma was out of the bed before she obviously realized that David had arrived as she looked shocked when she suddenly seemed to notice him standing there, why did she have a black eye? Hook was still coughing on the bed and trying to reach for the cup of water on the bedside table, David moved quickly grabbing the cup and handing it to the Pirate who promptly gulped it down then slumped back on to his pillows. He held the cup up, looking at David

"More"

David took the cup back and refilled it handing it back to Hook who again gulped it down in just a few mouthfuls

"Thirsty?" David asked incredulously

"Aye" Hook smirked back.

"Right, now you've stopped trying to choke yourself to death does someone want to tell me what the hell I missed" David crossed his arms and started between the other two. Silence hung in the rooms for what seemed like forever before Emma finally decided to speak

"It was my fault" she hung her face in shame.

Hook grabbed his iPad.

"Don't do that Love, you were not to know what would happen and considering what I did to you in return I think we should both just put it behind us and move past it"

"You did that?" David went straight into defensive Daddy mode as he turned back to the Pirate.

"It was an accident Dad" Emma put her hand on his arm to calm him down.

"I'll be the judge of that. You want to tell me what happened or do I have to go find Whale?" He just needed to know what had happened now, it couldn't be half as bad as the scenarios running through his mind.

"I stupidly put my hand round Hook's neck while we were in the pool earlier. It triggered a panic attack and in his struggling he accidentally hit me in the face with his elbow..." she trailed off

David eyed them suspiciously, they were both looking at one another nervously.

"And?" he probed

Emma shifted uncomfortably but Hook saved her the trouble of having to explain.

"In my panic to break free I ended up submerged in the water for too long. I managed to take some water into my lungs and Whale insisted that I wear this damned contraption over my face for a few hours, there is no more to it Mate"

David read the iPad, he still wasn't buying it but knew when to not push things, Emma was obviously struggling with whatever had happened.

He gave a deep sigh.

"As long as you are both alright I will leave it alone... for now" he said sincerely, he would find out what had really happened once he got the Pirate alone. Hook was obviously trying to spare Emma from having to go through it again which was fine but David knew there was more too it.

"Anyway..." David needed to change the subject "You'll never guess what I did today"

"What?" Emma was keen for the subject change too

"I got Tootles to give me a list of all the Lost Ones past hideouts" He beamed

"No way? How did you manage that?" Emma's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"With a little help from Rufio and the other Lost Ones" he grinned cryptically.

Emma grabbed a blanket from her bed and settled herself onto her recliner.

"Come on then Super Sheriff, I know you're just dying to tell us all about it and after the morning we've just had we could do with some good news" she gave him a smile as she drew her feet up and hugged her legs to her front pulling her blanket around herself.

David grinned, he grabbed the chair from Emma's desk and plonked it down next to the bed, then paused before sitting down looking directly at Hook.

"I'm sorry, I thought you said Whale said you had to wear that mask over your face? That is not on your face, that is clearly around your neck!" he gave Hook a serious look

Hook's face fell into a scowl but he pulled the mask back up over his mouth anyway, Emma sat giggling at the Pirate's grumblings. Someone had to make sure these two were looked after properly, clearly they couldn't be trusted to be left alone for a single morning without disaster striking. Satisfied that both were now how they should be David settled himself onto his chair and launched into his story, determined to impress them with his plan.


	63. Chapter 63

**Just a bit of drabbly Captain Swan before Hook FINALLY gets to go home...**

True to his own vow Killian was back in the pool the very next day, it had been nerve racking to begin with but within minutes he was too busy concentrating on his tasks that he never had a chance to think about what had happened the day before. He worked hard both in and out of the pool and over the next few days he progressed well. He was also doing much better vocally, managing to communicate most of his words through speech but he had found that towards the end of the day his voice began to dip out which was when Mama Swan started to puff her feathers and insisted that he used the iPad.

He lay in bed with Swan at his side, they were preparing to watch another movie. It was five days until Christmas and he was getting his feeding tube removed in the morning. He had been managing food much better too and had finally had the all clear in his FINAL step to getting home. He grinned happily as Emma set up the iPad, it was much more enjoyable watching the movies now that he could speak during them and ask questions without having to wait until they were finished by which time he had either forgotten his questions or simply had lost the will to ask for the answer.

Emma scooted back to his side and gave him the widest grin she could.

"You're gonna love this one" she beamed

"Aye?" he gave her a curious look

"Aye" she mimicked

They were both just in a silly mood, both happy that the end was in sight. The procedure in the morning would not take long, they were to do it with him still awake and with Swan at his side using some kind of numbing agent so he would feel nothing. He did not fully understand how it was going to work but he didn't care, the tube was coming out and at the end of the day that was all that mattered. He had four hours in which he could still eat and drink anything he wanted then he was to be starved until after the tube was removed, something he was not looking forward to.

He reached forward and handed Emma her cup of coffee and then picked up his smoothie before settling back to watch. The title came up, "Home Alone"... he wondered briefly what it could be about but was quickly drawn in to the story. It didn't take long for the laughter to start, he had not laughed so much in a long time, he laughed so hard that his still sore ribs really were protesting quite badly but he just couldn't seem to stop, in the end Emma had to pause the movie to allow him to calm down enough to take some pain medication. She wanted to leave it for another night but he insisted that they finish it, he wanted to see it to the end.

He lay grinning widely, the pain in his ribs was still there but he was happier than he had been in a long time. Emma was still giggling to herself

"Your face when that iron fell on Marv's face...honestly I thought you were going to snap your ribs you were laughing so hard, I think we'll leave the second movie until after they've healed"

"There's a second one?! Swan we have to watch it sooner rather than later, we must watch it before Christmas, it is a Christmas movie after all" he typed quickly trying to justify as best he could in writing form but then added in his husky voice for good measure

"You know I am right"

"You are supposed to be resting that voice for the night" she instantly admonished "You made enough noise laughing to make you lose your voice for a week" she added with a laugh and he couldn't help the smile that split his face once more as he thought of the movie again.

"Fine" he croaked "But I still have some time before they starve me, can we watch something else then?"

"Would you keep that mouth shut?"

"If I did that I wouldn't be able to do this" he replied, raising an eyebrow in a high arch before reaching forward and tugging her pajamas, she lent into his embrace smile disappearing as he captured her lips with his.

She pulled back sometime later and gave him a loving look, he knew in that moment that she was the only one for him, no one would ever compare to his Swan.

"What are you thinking?" she asked

"That I am the luckiest man alive" he said honestly

"Yeah, you are, aren't you?" she said with a giggle, jumping from the bed. "Right Pirate, you win, one last movie before bed but I get to choose it and I choose this one"

"What did you choose Love?"

"Wait and see... but I hope you like waxed mustaches and perms!" she said slyly

"Truly? You are to show me my story?"

"Don't get excited, you are nothing like you, well he is nothing like you... you know what I mean and well, Pan is NOTHING like Pan. This version was one of my favorites growing up. I used to imagine having food fights with the Lost Boys... now that's kinda ruined for me but THIS is still a good movie, we don't have to watch it if you'd rather watch something else"

"It's fine Love, I know that this is simply a tale, it cannot ever be as bad as the truth. I will be fine and if I am not I will simply ask you to stop it, I promise"

The point that Emma had made about resting his sore ribs seemed moot after about half an hour into the movie when a trussed up, wig wearing, wrinkly old Pirate appeared on the screen! THIS was what people in this realm thought that Captain Hook looked like?!

"What in the blazes is this?" he practically yelled "THIS is not a true representation of me! Why am I wearing that ridiculous wig?"

"He's not you and you are not him, come on, calm down. Just think of him as a different Captain Hook just like Pan is a different Pan" Emma soothed

As much as he tried he just couldn't get over the fact that this was how people expected him to be, it certainly explained the mocking that he had received when he first arrived. Not even he would have taken himself seriously if he had seen this before coming to Storybrooke. He huffed out a sigh, this was so unfair. He must have closed his eyes at some point, probably to block out the horror movie playing out in front of him as the next he was aware of anything it was morning and he was being gently woken by Emma.

"Hey, sleepy head. We need to get you up and ready to go down to surgery. They're coming for you in a hour. Do you want a shower before you go? You'll not be able to get one after until your stitches are removed so now is your last chance for about 10 days"

He nodded, his throat felt a little sore and he didn't want Emma to do her usual "I told you so" thing that she liked so much. He was up, had used the bathroom, brushed his teeth and showered all in plenty of time. He now sat nervously waiting for Whale to arrive.

"You'll be fine and I am not leaving your side so you don't need to worry about me. This will be over soon and then the day after tomorrow you get to go home. Can you believe we will actually get to spend Christmas Eve in our own bed?"

"Our bed?" he croaked

She looked thoughtful for a minute then nodded her head

"Yes, OUR bed. It's never gonna be just my bed again. You are part of me now and the thought of you not being there by my side is not something I want to deal with so yes, our bed"

He just smiled, Gods he loved this woman.

Just then Whale backed into the room with a wheelchair.

"You ready to get this thing done then?"

"Aye, more than ready" Killian answered with a smile

"Let's do it then, the sooner it's done the sooner you can be out of here and we can all get on with enjoying the holidays.

Emma helped Killian out of the recliner and into wheelchair as Whale gripped it to stop it scooting away. Before he could have time to change his mind, which he wouldn't have anyway he was being wheeled out of his room for the last procedure that he would need before FINALLY being allowed to leave. He felt so happy, the smile on his face must have been infectious and everyone that they passed smiled and wished himself and Emma a Merry Christmas. Yes, he could get used to this holiday, it certainly was the "Most wonderful time of the year".


	64. Chapter 64

**So you may have noticed that there was no update yesterday... That is because I was visiting the newest member of my family. My cousin had her second baby and she is just the most gorgeous wee toot that you'll ever see. So I hope you can all forgive me but I just had to give her a few cosies, I've have has to wait nine months after all lol**

 **So Hooky FINALLY gets to go home right now \o/**

The day of leaving arrived bright and clear, Killian had barely slept a wink he was just too anxious. Was he going to be able to manage? Would he be able to eat enough to keep gaining weight? The stitches in his stomach still hurt especially when he laughed but all being well they would be removed in ten days although if he failed to gain enough weight Whale had told him that he would have to have a tube inserted through his nose at night so that he could be fed directly into his stomach. Killian was determined that it wouldn't happen but he was struggling to eat large amounts in one sitting, this was resulting in him having six smaller meals in a day, sometimes it felt like he was never done eating but he knew that it wouldn't be for long so he just tried his best to eat what he was given.

He huffed out a sigh and looked at the clock for what felt the millionth time, nine thirty four... Gods, had time stopped?

"Hey. I know you want to get out of here but it's gonna be a while yet. We need to wait on your medication and my Dad isn't even here yet. It may still be a couple of hours, why don't you try and get some sleep? You look like hell, did you sleep at all last night" Emma stroked her fingers down the side of his face lovingly

"Not really." he paused, should he share his worries?

"What's up? Come on you can tell me, don't look so worried" yeah, he was apparently not good at hiding his feelings

"What if I cannot do this?" he said quietly, staring out the window into the bright sunshine.

"Killian, look at me" Emma's voice was quiet but he heard her loud and clear, turning his eyes to meet hers

"You don't need to do this by yourself, I am here for you, we all are. Yes, it will probably be tough but can it really be any tougher than anything you have gone through here already?" She smiled sweetly

He thought about it, she was right, he had accomplished so much already and this was just the next step.

"You are right Love, with you by my side I could climb mountains" he said seriously

"I'd settle for you walking to the bathroom yourself but if you want to try a mountain I'm sure I could get my Dad to drive us there on the way home" she gave a hearty laugh

He grinned widely at her, she always knew how to ease his fears.

"Perhaps you are right Love, maybe I should try and have a nap. I would very much like to be alert enough to enjoy my journey home. I feel like it has been an eternity since I have seen any other part of the outside world other than what I can see through my window"

Emma helped him get comfortable, reclining the chair for him and putting his headphones on, he pressed play on his favorite song and settled back letting the music lull him into sleep.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

He awoke some time later to find David sleeping in a chair by his side, he did not look comfortable. Killian eyed the man beside him, he looked tired, his usually clean shaven face looked like it had been neglected for a couple of days, blonde scruff clear to be seen. Both David and Mary-Margaret had done so much for him, he was not sure if he'd ever be able to repay them fully for their kindness. He grabbed the controls and sat himself up slightly looking out into the room for Emma but not being able to see her anywhere, his heart beat picked up slightly, where was she? His eyes finally fell on the table across his bed where there was a white piece of paper folded into a tent with a message written in on it from Emma.

"Gone to get your medication from the pharmacy, be back soon. BEHAVE yourselves"

He smirked to himself, what could he possibly get up to? All his belongings had been packed up. He currently sat in a pair of dark colored jogging bottoms and a sweatshirt, not that he'd be jogging anytime soon but until his hip was fully healed they were much more comfortable than his usual pants. He wore a pair of hard soled slippers that Mary-Margaret had brought in for him so that his feet didn't get too cold. He really didn't feel like himself in these clothes but right now he knew his own clothing would be too tight to wear and would probably hurt him more than he was willing to put up with.

He pulled his headphones off his head and put the iPad on the table, as he placed it down the pen which Emma had used rumbled it's way to the edge of the table and got caught on the small rim. He picked it up, took the lid in his teeth and pulled, it popped off easily revealing a soft thick tip. He experimentally drew on the paper that Emma had left. The pen left wet ink marks across it, he gave it a thoughtful look for a few seconds before a huge smile slowly appeared on Killian's face... Oh yes, this was the perfect opportunity, the Prince would not suspect a thing. He needed to move quickly before either the Prince awoke or Emma returned.

He pulled himself to the edge of his seat hoping that it would be close enough... it wasn't damn it! David sat with his head tipped back, mouth slightly open and from his position he couldn't reach. OK, he was going to have to stand up. He took the pen in his teeth and readied himself, pulling himself upright he took one tentative step forward, then another. He stood within reach of his target. He took the pen back from his teeth and couldn't help the giggle that escaped him as he lent in, bringing his left arm across his front to press against his surgery scar to try and stop it hurting as he giggled away. He hoped this would work. He moved the pen slowly down and brought just the very tip across the stubble on David's face pulling it back after the first downward stroke. He nearly burst out laughing, this was going to work REALLY well.

He worked quickly, essentially coloring in David's beard, except he didn't do the whole thing he made it look like he had a particularly handsome mustache and a small beard on his chin. He stepped back happy with the result but in his haste to get away with his mischief he misjudged the distance to the chair as he sat, sliding with a thump on to the floor rear first. He was in instant pain and he couldn't get himself back up. He panted through the worst of it for a few seconds, suddenly the joke seemed to be on him as he searched for any way to hep himself back up but just then he was saved by Emma returning to the room.

"HOOK!" she yelled, throwing the paper bag in her hands onto her now empty desk. "What are you doing?"

David chose that moment to wake, obviously disorientated from sleep he blinked his bleary eyes a few times before realizing what he was seeing.

"What's going on?" he asked jumping to his feet, carefully avoiding Killian's legs that were spread out across the floor in front of his chair.

"That's what I'd like to know" Emma grit out

David came to his right hand side and Emma came to his left, each taking a hold of an arm and hoisting him up on to the chair. He was panting again, his hip practically screaming at him. He felt Emma's fingers on his face, soothing him through the worst of it, then he felt a nudge on his arm. He opened his eyes to see David holding a cup of water in one hand and some pain medication in the other.

"Here, you must be due some of this soon anyway"

"Aye" Killian agreed taking the medication quickly then gulping down the water

"What were you doing?" Emma asked again after a few minutes, she was crouched down by his side

"I missed the chair" he finally managed to speak as the pain ebbed away

"What were you doing OUT of the chair?" she raised her eyebrows at him

"Nothing" he tried to look innocent

"Well doing "Nothing" ended with you on your ass so don't do it again" she said softly before standing back up and finally looking at her Father.

She froze, stared for a minute then turned back to Killian.

"Nothing huh? That's what nothing looks like is it?" she whispered, giving him a smirk "You're on your own when he finds out"

He grinned at her, David hadn't seemed to notice their hushed conversation as he busied himself grabbing the last few things to go in the bags that needed to go in the truck.

Emma helped Killian into his wheelchair and they were FINALLY ready to go. She gave his shoulder an encouraging squeeze from behind as David held the door open for them to go through. Killian didn't even look back as he left the room, he never wanted to see it again as long as he lived, from now on he was only looking forward.

A few nurses gave him a wave as he was wheeled down the corridors towards the outside world and he cheerfully waved back. They paused briefly so that Swan could help him put on a thick coat against the winter weather, it was bright and sunny but it was still bitterly cold. Most of the snow had melted but there was word that there could possibly be some more before Christmas day. Killian couldn't hide his smile as he was eventually wheeled out into the fresh air. He closed his eyes and tipped back his head, feeling the slight breeze against his cheeks, the fresh air smelt so nice compared to the stuffy air in his old room, he pulled in big lungfulls knowing it would do him the world of good.

He was in David's truck in minutes, bags and wheelchair in the back, Emma and David sitting next to him in the cab.

"Ready to go?" David grinned

"Aye" he grinned back

"Good, we're stopping at Granny's on the way home by the way. I so can't be bothered cooking anything and you are in dire need of food, you haven't eaten in hours and I wouldn't say no to a grilled cheese either, Dad's buying" Emma threw in with a smirk

"Am I just?" David asked with a smile but didn't deny it

The truck pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards town. Killian sat grinning to himself as the world rushed by, he had really done it, he was free of that place and he would be home for Christmas.


	65. Chapter 65

**I couldn't resist one final practical joke before Hook got to go home... it did make me giggle lol**

David glanced to the side and smiled. His baby girl sat holding onto her Pirate's hook like it was the most precious thing in the world as they drove down Main Street. Both of them kept looking at one another and grinning widely, it was good to see they both deserved a bit of happiness after the last few weeks. He pulled the truck to a stop outside Granny's and jumped out of the cab, grabbed the wheelchair and brought it around to the other door where Emma had managed to get Hook mostly out already. She helped the Pirate lower himself down gently but it must have still hurt him as he sucked in a breath and went rigid for a minute.

"You OK?" she asked, voice full of concern.

"Aye Love, I will be, as soon as I get some food in my belly" he smiled back at her worried face.

David watched as Emma fussed over her man, he looked tired already and he hadn't even been into the diner where there was a surprise party waiting for him. David just hoped that it wouldn't be too much for him, it had been a long time since Hook had been able to go more than a few hours without falling asleep and the diner was not exactly what you'd call sleep friendly but this was important to Henry, he'd spent the last two days decorating and organizing just how he wanted everything.

Emma covered Hook's legs in a warm blanket and finally wheeled him around to face the diner. There was a long ramp out front where the steps used to be and Emma ground to a halt and gasped.

"Yeah Granny had it fitted, figured it would be easier for peg leg here to get in and out" David said with a smirk

Emma grinned, Hook although grinning raised his eyebrows

"Peg Leg?! Is that the best you've got? And here was me thinking you made a good sparing partner" he croaked

David slapped a hand on the Pirate's shoulder as he walked passed to get the door

"I've been taking it easy on you, don't want people thinking I'm picking on a poor cripple now do we?" he added with a laugh

"Laugh all you like Prince for I think it is I who will have the last laugh" Hook added cryptically

"Yeah yeah Pirate, we'll see" David scoffed as Emma wheeled the man through the door backwards.

She wheeled the chair round and there was a deafening shout of "SURPRISE" from what looked like half of Storybrooke.

Hook's mouth hung open as his eyes darted around the room and Emma looked just as shocked. Henry rushed forward.

"Welcome Home Killian, Mom. I hope you like what we've done. There's LOADS of food that you'll both be able to eat and just wait until you see the cake Killian, it's made out of ice cream so you can eat as much as you like" he was grinning from ear to ear before looking up at David. There was a puzzled look on his face for a few seconds before he added "Nice beard" with a smirk. Yeah, David guessed that he really should have a shave soon, people were not used to seeing Royalty looking so scruffy, he lifted his hand and gave his scruff a scratch, conscious that he was not up to his usual standard but today was about celebration so if people were not happy, well so be it.

Hook's eyes looked decidedly watery from where David stood as he stared at all the people in the room.

"You did all of this Lad?" he asked Henry in awe

"Aye" Henry replied with a cheeky grin "Ruby and Granny helped with the food and Grandma and Belle helped me decorate"

Hook looked at each person as Henry spoke then simply said in a quiet voice.

"Thank you, this is too much, how can I ever repay your kindness?"

"By getting better" Mary-Margaret replied "Now are you going to take a seat or are you going to remain in the doorway all day?"

Everybody laughed and then the room was filled with the sound of happy chatter as everybody started helping themselves to food and drink. Hook was wheeled over to one of the tables in the center of the room but he frowned.

"Can I not sit in our usual booth Love?" he said

"I'd rather you didn't have to get out of your chair" Emma soothed as she maneuvered the chair close to the table. Hook looked crestfallen but smiled sweetly at her anyway, was this or was this not his party?

"Emma let the man sit in the booth if he wants, it will take no time at all to get him in and out and he'll be more comfortable" David whispered into her ear

She gave a thoughtful look then abruptly pulled the chair away from the table just as Hook was about to settle his arms on it.

"Change of plan Pirate, to your booth you shall go where you can keep an eye on the door just like always. You think I don't know that's why you like to sit there?" she laughed at his surprised face

He was settled in place within a few seconds, Henry by his side closest to the wall. David was wheeling the chair into the back, next to the washrooms when Mary-Margaret came up to him with a sweet smile on her face.

"I'm liking the beard by the way, maybe you should keep it like that, it gives off a certain charm" she gave him a smoldering look before going up on her tip toes and kissing him deeply. She broke the kiss, gave him a wink and turned back to the party leaving him slightly confused. She'd never liked his scruff before, maybe he would keep it after all. With a smile on his face he carried on to the back of the diner, a slight spring in his step as he went, people were smiling at him widely, yes, the beard certainly seemed to be working for him!

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Killian sat in awe at all around him, Henry babbled excitedly by his side and Emma and Mary-Margaret were collecting some food for them from the bar. He looked at the boy by his side.

"Thank you Lad, this means so much to me, you have no idea"

"It's cool Killian, you deserve it. You helped me when I needed it so I think it's only fair that I help you in return. We are gonna have so much fun living together, we can have movie nights whenever we want and you can teach me to sword fight" Henry said with huge hopeful eyes

"That my boy is a very good idea, one which I think we need to keep hidden from a certain bearded Prince, I do not think he would appreciate me teaching you how to fight properly after the hours he has put in. It may take me a while to undo all the bad habits that you have learned but I am sure that before too long I will have you fighting like the best sea Captain there is... Me" he added with a grin

"What are you two grinning at" Mary-Margaret looked at them suspiciously as she and Emma placed the plates of food down

"Nothing" they chimed in unison, they were getting good at that.

The two women sat opposite and seconds later David joined them with drinks for everyone on a tray. He placed them all down in front of the appropriate people before also placing a shot of rum down in front of all but Henry before sliding into the booth next to Emma.

Killian stared at the rum in front of him then at Emma, he daren't drink it if she said no. He remembered what it had done to him the last time and did not want to repeat the episode.

"It's OK, you can have one. You are on different medication now so one won't hurt you" she gave him a knowing look

He reached forward and took it in his hand.

"To Captain Hook" David said loudly and everyone in the diner moved to raise their glasses but Emma yelled loudly before they could drink

"NO... to Killian Jones" she said with a loving look that pierced his heart.

"To Killian Jones" the murmur ran around the diner as everyone raised their glasses.

He raised his own then stared hard at the dark amber liquid before tipping it down his throat in one easy motion. It burned but it was good. He gave a small chuckle at the look of disgust on David's face.

"I'll never get used to that stuff" he pulled his lips back from his teeth and stuck his tongue out giving a rasping sound as if trying to dispel the taste from his mouth.

Killian beamed widely as he looked at Emma, she had drank her's down with no issue at all as had Mary-Margaret. He winked at Emma and she winked back.

The next couple of hours was spent in good company, everyone seemed genuinely happy to see him and he was happy to see them too, even Regina came in at one point. She approached the booth and addressed him directly.

"Glad to see you are doing better, I can't say I've missed you but Henry has been worried so I guess it's a good thing." she turned to address Emma and said "Miss Swan" giving a small nod and a smirk as she walked away.

He'd take that as progress, he was determined to get Regina and Emma talking again, this whole thing was just ridiculous. He understood that she was angry about losing Robin to Marian but it was not entirely Emma's fault. Emma sat staring after Regina as she walked away, he could see she wanted to go after her.

"Go" he said encouragingly

It was all the excuse she needed as she practically barged her Father out of the way and ran after the Queen. David gave a sigh.

"I hope those two can work out their differences"

"Me too" Mary-Margaret agreed

"Me three" Henry threw in making them all laugh

Hook shifted slightly, he was getting quite uncomfortable sitting on the bench, it was too straight backed and it was making him sore. He was also beginning to feel really tired, the food sitting in his stomach making him feel sleepy. Apparently Swan's Mother was as good at reading him as her Daughter because she quickly started stacking plates.

"David, I think we should be moving soon. We still need to get Hook up all those stairs"

Gods, he hadn't even thought of that. Suddenly his weariness seemed to double. How was he going to get all the way up to the loft when just the thought of the trip back into his chair seemed an impossibility right now.

"Don't worry, we've borrowed a carrying chair from the hospital." Mary-Margaret read his mind again "You won't need to walk all the way up. David and Emma will managed just fine" she gave his hand a soft pat across the table.

"Right, if I'm gonna have to carry your scrawny ass up three flights of stairs I am going to have to relive myself of some fluid first" David said with a grin

"David!" Mary-Margaret admonished "Can't you just go to the washroom like everyone else? You have to announce it to the whole room?!" she shook her head in embarrassment

David gave Killian a wide grin "Be back in a minute"

Killian watched as the Prince strode off across the room. His eyes moved back to the door of the diner as the bell rang and Emma walked back in smiling widely

"Regina is going to join us tomorrow night for supper" she beamed at the table

"That's AWESOME" Henry yelled

Killian was listening but his attention had been drawn by something outside, he was not sure but he thought that he had just caught a glimpse of someone on the back of David's truck. Surely he was wrong? He looked harder and saw movement again but just as he was about to shift his position for a better look there was a loud roar from the washrooms

"HOOOOOOOOOOOOOK... YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS!"

The Bearded Prince had finally been revealed to the last person in the diner... Charming himself!


	66. Chapter 66

**Sorry about all the spelling mistakes and wot not in the last chapter, I never had a chance to check it properly before I posted it, they have been fixed.**

 **Poor Charming, everyone was laughing at him... BAHAHAHAHAHA**

 **Sorry, I just find it amusing :D**

By the time Killian was back in the car he was regretting staying so long at the party, his back, neck and hip ached from sitting up straight for so long. They had helped him to the bathroom in the diner, figuring it would be easier to do it before climbing Mount Doom but it had left him exhausted and in even more pain than he had been in while just sitting still. He tried to hide his discomfort from Emma but she could read him far too well.

"You OK?" she asked as she pulled his seat belt around him "You've gone very pale"

"Tired" was all he could muster

"And in pain?" she asked

"Aye" he said closing his eyes against another wave that rolled through him.

"We'll get you some more medication once we get you up the stairs then you can have a sleep" she whispered

He never even opened his eyes, he just gave her a smile. He heard the door close then seconds later Emma scooted across the bench seat on his left and took his hook in her hand once more. She cuddled into his side and he let his head fall onto the top of hers as she lowered it onto his shoulder. He must have dozed off in the few short minutes it took to drive to the loft because the next thing he knew was that Emma was nudging him gently to wake him up.

Henry and Snow must have walked with the young Prince in his carriage as Killian could see them approaching, chatting loudly to one another as he was lowered into his chair. He was beyond tired now, struggling to even hold his head upright, his chin kept dipping down and touching his chest but this movement pulled painfully on his sore neck causing him to jump back up which also hurt, he was caught in a vicious cycle.

Emma wheeled him through the door, the corridor was tight and a little awkward to maneuver in but eventually he found himself at the bottom of the three flights of stairs. There was a small metal chair folded against the wall, it was like the one that was attached to the hoist at the pool but without the long straps, this one had handles instead. He was once again helped to his feet, his knees threatened to buckle and in the end he was practically lifted by David into the new chair. He was strapped in and Emma covered him in his blanket to ward off the cold of the stairwell.

It took an eternity to get him up the full three flights. At first Emma had insisted on stopping every few steps, the jolting motion was sending spikes of pain though every part of his body as they climbed but after this happened a few times Killian just wanted it over.

"Just keep going, the more you stop the longer this is going to take" he gasped out through his pain.

They moved quickly after that and although this meant that he met his destination faster he was panting hard against the pain but even worse than that was the nausea that now washed through him, the food that he had enjoyed so much half an hour before sat dangerously close to resurfacing, he willed his stomach to settle as he was finally placed back down on solid ground outside the apartment door.

"Hey, it's OK, take some deep breaths. Just sit for a minute. You feel sick?" he heard Emma's voice by his side then felt her fingers on his hand, he gripped them tightly and gave a slight nod.

The straps that were holding him in place were released and he slumped slightly forward but Emma was quick to support him, his forehead resting on her collarbone and her hand coming around the back of his head to give him comfort.

"Not far now" David's voice appeared by his other side "We can do this one of two ways. Either we get the wheelchair, transfer you over then get you inside or if you trust me I can have you up and in bed in less than thirty seconds"

Killian didn't care if David used it against him for months to come, he was so tired he would have slumped on the floor and slept right on the doorstep if Emma would have allowed it. He lifted his head, opened his eyes and looked at David's serious face.

"Come on Pirate, trust me, I won't drop you I promise" David said sincerely

Killian just gave a nod. David moved quickly coming to his side, Killian was up and in the Prince's arms in seconds. They moved quickly, it was much smoother than the trip up the stairs but Killian's pain was not ebbing and as David lowered him softly on to the bed the final motion took his breath away. He lay panting, practically shaking in pain as David stepped back and Emma slid onto the bed next to him.

"Here" she tapped his face and his eyes pooped open to see the dispenser with the stronger pain medication in it before his face. Normally he would refuse but right now he just opened his mouth and readily accepted it as Emma squirted the liquid down his throat. He lay for a few minutes, Emma's hand cupped his face and her thumb stroked soothingly across his cheek. Eventually he managed to open his eyes to see Emma's worried face staring at him.

"You OK?" she asked in a worried tone

He breathed heavily for a few more seconds before simply replying "Tired"

"I know, let's get this jacket off and then you can sleep for as long as you like"

She as gently as possible, with the help of her Father got him out of the jacket, removing his hook first to save it getting caught and causing more issues.

A few minutes later he was under the covers and settled against the pile of pillows. The pain was slowly leaving, he thought that he was past the days of pain like that, this had been a stark reminder that he still had a long way to go and from that display it was clear that it would be a long time before he would be leaving the loft. He had essentially just swapped one room for another. He gave a long sigh, he'd just have to work harder at his therapy, he refused to be carried up and down those stairs longer than necessary.

"Get some sleep" Emma said quietly

He gave her a loving smile

"Join me?" he asked tentatively

"I don't want to hurt you" she replied, worry clearly etched on her face.

"Then don't leave me alone" he said quietly, closing his eyes as the exhaustion tugged him towards sleep.

He felt her stand from the bed, heard her leather jacket being removed then the bed dipped again as she crawled under the covers to his side. He lifted his left arm and she tucked herself into her usual spot. He had waited so long for this moment he really wished he could enjoy it more but right now his body was fighting his mind and with the extra pull of his strong medication he did not stand a chance. Sleep took him quickly, images dancing through his head of all that had happened that afternoon. Apart from the roaring agony he had been consumed by he had had fun. From here on in life was going to get better starting right now. Christmas was a mere two days away and he planned to enjoy it as much as he possibly could.

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He was asleep in minutes, Emma lay by her Pirate's side for a few more until she was positive that he wouldn't wake up when she moved. Finally she decided that he was sleeping deeply enough and slowly slid herself out from under his arm and off the bed, he never moved a muscle. She adjusted his covers around him making sure that he would be warm enough before dropping a kiss onto his cheek and stepping back.

She crossed her arms as she stood watching him, his skin held a sickly green tinge which she hoped would clear quickly now that he was sleeping. He had been in so much pain that the mere thought of it turned her own stomach causing her to pull in a few deep breaths.

Her Mom and Dad had moved themselves up to Emma's room and made up their own bed for herself and Hook but they had also hung thick curtains the length of the room to give them some privacy. Emma tugged the curtains over sending the small area into near darkness, she looked up at the window to see that they had hung a blind there too, they seemed to have thought of everything.

"He OK?" her Dad asked quietly as he approached her side throwing his arm around her shoulder and tugging him into his side.

"He's sleeping." she turned to meet his gaze "God Dad, is he ever going to be pain free? He was in absolute agony, I thought he was actually gonna puke"

"He'll get there Emma, look how far he's come already. Come on, Mom's making some hot chocolate, let him sleep." he pulled her with him as he turned and walked towards the dining room table.

Henry jumped up from his seat and hugged her furiously.

"Thanks Kid" she said hugging him back.

"He'll be fine Mom. I know he will. Now that he's home with us he'll be up and walking about in no time just you watch and see" he said giving her a wide smile

"I hope so Kid, I hope so."


	67. Chapter 67

**Not much left to go, a few more chapters then the story will be done! Don't worry there are a few left and a bit more action still to come.**

 **I have had such a lot of fun doing this. I have another fic already completed, if anyone is interested I could think about typing it up for you guys. It's my take on what happens to Hook after Ursula throws him in the water during "Poor Unfortunate Soul". Needless to say it's another shameless excuse to torture poor Killian Jones!**

 **Let me know what you think... Thanks in advance**

 **Right back to our wee family and Hook's home coming.**

Hook barely woke again until the next morning. Emma had tried to get him to get up for some food a little after seven but he just shook his head and refused. Come ten she knew that he was going to have to use the bathroom before settling down for the night but was concerned that he was still in quite a lot of pain and in the end she convinced him to use a bed pan much to his annoyance. She finally managed to get him to drink a protein shake and take some more pain medication not long after that but as soon as he was finished drinking he was sleeping soundly again.

Emma just hoped that he was brighter in the morning otherwise she would have to call Whale for a house visit which she didn't want to do if it meant that there was any chance it could mean Hook being readmitted to hospital, he had worked far too hard to get out of there to go back after only one day!

Just before eleven Emma crawled into bed next to her Pirate, she lay on her back staring into the darkness. This was not how she had imagined their first night at home to have gone. She couldn't see his face, it was too dark but the sound of his steady breathing was a comfort like no other and before she knew it she was sleeping soundly by his side.

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Killian squinted against the bright sunshine streaming through the window, he could have sworn that he had seen movement on the back of David's truck. He concentrated harder, did he just see a red jumper? He shifted slightly on the bench seat and stared with all his might but just as the person began to reveal themselves there was a loud bang next to him and he instantly jumped back into reality, waking with a start. The dream fizzled out and disappeared as he looked to his left, Emma sat next to him in the dim light looking sheepish.

"Sorry!" she cringed "I dropped my phone, I was trying to see the time. How are you feeling?"

He thought about it, gave a tentative stretch which only caused him minimal pain then gave her a wide grin.

"Much better Love. What time is it? I am starved"

Emma smiled back at him sweetly

"It's still early but if you want food I will make you something. Do you think you can manage a trip to the bathroom?"

"Aye Lass" he replied quickly, he did not want to have to use the bed pan again

Emma helped him to the bathroom and back, it had been tough but not as bad as he had feared it was going to be. David had fitted hand holds for him in several places to aid him which made things a lot easier but by the time he was climbing back into bed he had still broken out into a sweat with the effort.

"Take it easy, I'm going to make you something to eat. Oatmeal?"

"Thank you Love, that will be just fine"

Emma moved off quickly leaving him sitting in the semi darkness, the curtain had been pulled back so some light from the main room shone in illuminating his surroundings. He hadn't had a chance to look around last night, he had been in no fit state to take anything in. He could make out a few of his belongings on the small table by the bed, he reached over and picked up one of his favorite books, someone must have been on the Jolly to get this. He was just wondered how they knew which ones to bring when he opened it and his charcoal drawing of Milah fell out and landed in his lap.

He slowly lowered the book and picked up the parchment, a smile coming to his lips. Milah was beautiful, he had drawn this a long time ago but he remembered the day well, she had been so happy and full of life. He sighed, that was a whole different lifetime ago, he had moved on. He would always love Milah, she was his first love and nothing would ever change that but his heart belonged to Emma now.

"I will always love you but now is the time to say goodnight my Love, it is time that I let your memory rest in peace. I know that you would want me to be happy and I want you to know that I truly am. I have Emma now but I also have Henry. A part of Baelfire lives on in that boy and for that I am truly grateful. Sometimes when he looks at me I swear I see you staring straight back into my soul and my heart sings... Goodnight my Love, until we meet again in another life."

He brought the parchment to his lips and gave it a soft kiss before tucking into the back of the book knowing that he would never open it again. That part of his life was over, he needed to look forward. A tear slid down his face as he placed the book back on the table, he sucked in a calming breath and wiped it away with the edge of his sheet.

"Did you say something?" Emma asked happily as she came back through the curtains carrying two bowls of oatmeal in her hands.

He was suddenly grateful for the dim light, he tried to sound as happy as possible when he replied.

"No Love. That smells delicious"

"I put in some blueberries and added some honey to make it a bit more exciting" she said with a wide smile.

They sat eating and chatting until the bowls were empty, Emma took them back to the kitchen returning with two glasses of milk. He drank his down quickly then settled back into his pillows, Emma joined him shortly after, snuggling into his side.

"I missed you last night" Emma whispered

"And I you, Love. I am sorry that I was in no fit state. That was not how I had planned to spend our first night at home together"

"Yeah?" she grinned cheekily "Just what did you planned?"

He raised his eyebrow and stuck his tongue out between his teeth before scooting further down into the bed pulling Emma with him under the covers. She giggled loudly as he tickled her but it turned into a low moan as he locked his lips over hers, she deepened the kiss as he pulled her forward, his hand going into the long hair quickly getting lost in what he was doing, it had been so long since they had had any time like this to themselves. They broke apart briefly, both gasping for air before Emma launched herself back towards him again, her left hand sliding over his torso and settling lightly on his right hip. He couldn't help it when a moan escaped his own lips but it died instantly in his throat when Henry's voice rang out through the loft.

"I'm awake Guys, I do not need to be hearing this!"

"We are so getting our own place... with doors on the rooms" Emma huffed out as she threw herself back over to her side of the bed.

"You know I have a place, there is plenty of room and the crew's cabins are far far away from the Captain's quarters" he said with a cheeky smile before adding seriously "My home is your home Emma, yours and Henry's"

"That could work" she said giving him a sly look "We just need to get you back to one hundred percent before we even think about it but I could get used to living on a Pirate ship but we'd need to make some changes. I refuse to live in this day and age without certain mod cons and a flushing toilet is definitely one of them"

He couldn't help it, he pulled her back towards him and kissed her again, his hand moved around her back and tugged her hips towards his eliciting a moan from her at the movement

"GUYS! You are grossing me out" Henry yelled

"Me too" David added , his voice full of laughter "I do not need to hear my own daughter making out with a Pirate in my own home!"

"Yes, sorry Emma, this is just all kinds of wrong" Mary-Margaret added

Killian couldn't help the laugh that escaped him as Emma yelled

"OH... YOU TWO CANNOT EVEN GO THERE... Do you not remember "Taco Gate?" Your own Grandson nearly walked in on you guys"

"Ahhhhhhh" Henry drawled out as realization hit. "Wait, is that what you two were doing?" he suddenly added with disgust "Gross, this is just too much information for one teenage boy to take in, in one day!"

Hook laughed heartily, yes, making a home on the Jolly seemed like a very good idea, they were never going to get time alone in this apartment but they had time, all the time in the world...


	68. Chapter 68

**Christmas trees and Regina coming for dinner... YAY**

They spent a pleasant morning doing Christmassy things. After the breakfast dishes had been cleared from the dining table Emma, Henry and Hook settled down to wrapping some gifts, a task which proved to be a lot more fun than Emma had ever remembered it to be. Christmas music played and occasionally Hook would start to sing along to one that he recognized, Emma smiled widely at him, she didn't even think about trying to stop him, she loved the sound of his singing voice even if it was a lot more husky that normal.

They laughed hard as Hook got tangled in the ribbons that Emma was trying in vain to use to make her parcels look perfect for under their tree, David and Mary-Margaret were out right now getting it and they would be bringing it in later that afternoon, she was looking forward to decorating it from top to toe with the rest of her family. She tried to get Hook involved as much as possible but was conscious that she needed to be careful to not let him sit up straight for too long after the results of the previous day so after a couple of hours of fun she helped him across to the recliner chair that her parents had bought.

"They really got this for me?" he asked in wonder as she helped him sit down.

"Originally it was my Dad's idea but he was just going to ask Whale if we could borrow one from the hospital, then my Mom saw this in the furniture store and just decided to get it. They both think that they'll be using it once you no longer need it but I think it would look nice in the corner of your cabin, what say you Captain?"

"I say "our cabin" and I agree, it would be a nice addition. We will have to get one of those to go with it, what do you call them again?" he said pointing at the couch

"A couch"

"Yes, one of those but I think we should clear out the hold and make a living area for all of us." he said with a smile

She looked at him and could see the happiness in his face at the thought of sharing his ship with her and Henry and she couldn't help being drawn into his plans. She grabbed the controls for the chair and tipped it back to a better angle for him.

"We'll need to get a generator too"

"What's that love?"

"It's a machine that gives you electricity, you use fuel, similar to the gas I use in my car to power it and it means that you can have lights, heating and other things like a fridge and even a TV."

"All of that is possible?!" he said in wonder

"Sure, I don't see why not. I'm sure with the help of a few people we can drag your ship into the twenty first century" she gave his hand a squeeze.

"I'd like that, I love the Jolly with my whole soul but sometimes in winter it is impossible to sleep as it just so cold even with the fire place in my cabin, heating will make her perfect in every way"

"Fine, we'll start looking into it after the new year but right now you need to get some sleep. Regina will be arriving in a few hours and my Dad will be here with the tree soon which I know you want to help with, I don't want you being over tired"

"Aye Aye" he gave her a wink and a salute

She pulled his blanket off the back on the couch and spread it over him before bending down and kissing him sweetly

"Sleep tight Pirate" she whispered as he closed his eyes.

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He could see the truck through the glass at Granny's again, he knew that if he just moved slightly to his left he'd get the perfect view of the person that had ducked down behind the cab. He started to shift his position but Emma stood in his way, he opened his mouth to ask her to move but his voice was gone again, where was his iPad? He started frantically looking for it on the table which had now transformed into the table over his hospital bed where he now seemed to be sitting beneath his blue blankets once more. What was going on? Why was he back in his room? He could hear voices talking... it was Ruby but he couldn't make out what she was saying. He strained his ears, listening intently but it was no use. He tried to shift his position again to see if he could locate his missing iPad although his reason for needing it was now gone he had an overwhelming urge to have it in his hand, it brought him comfort, it was his only way of communicating... wait, that wasn't right, he could talk now! He tried to move again but found that his blankets were up over his head, no matter which way he moved he couldn't find the end and yelling didn't work either, he was trapped and had no way of asking for help. He was just on the verge of starting to panic when he jolted upright to find Henry by his side.

"KILLIAN, wake up. It's just a dream"

The boy's voice broke through and he immediately deflated back into the chair as he realized that he was in the loft, it was just a dream. He took a few calming breaths before letting his eyes wander around the room, where was Emma?

"Mom's gone down to help Grandma and Grandpa bring up the tree." Henry beamed form ear to ear.

Killian took up the controls of the chair and lowered his feet, his heart rate had returned to almost it's usual beat as the dream left him. He eagerly waited the tree's arrival, all thoughts of being trapped in his blankets evaporated from his mind as David backed through the door with the top end of the tree in his hands. The thing was enormous. He sat and watched as the Charmings worked quickly in unison like a well oiled machine until the tree stood proud and tall in the corner of the room.

"There" David said brightly "Now all we have to do is decorate it"

Emma appeared by Killian's side with a huge box which she dumped on the floor at his feet.

"God Mom, did you buy the whole store" she said stretching her back out

"I might have gotten a bit carried away" Mary-Margaret blushed "Can you blame me? This is our first proper Christmas together Emma, I wanted it to be perfect"

"I know Mom but there are other people in town needing stuff too" Emma added with a laugh "Right Captain, you are in charge of the box, we need the lights first, then you just need to pick out what you want to put on next and where it goes, we are your elves... make it look good or there will be trouble" she grinned at him

Emma opened the box and he cautiously looked inside. There was a huge array of decorations inside for him to choose from. He quickly found the two boxes marked "Lights" and handed them to Henry who immediately took them to David, Killian watched momentarily as the two started to prepare the lights to go on the tree before looking back into the box. There were glass balls that were so shiny he could see himself reflected back in them, he pulled them out, yes, he very much liked them. He handed these to Emma who took them with another wide smile. This was going to be fun.

Over an hour later the family stood back and admired their work, the tree looked magnificent. It was lit up and decorated to within an inch of it's life but it was still tasteful and elegant.

"Did I pass your test then Swan?" he asked cheekily

"With flying colors, you can do that again but next year I expect you to help hang the decorations too" she answered, dropping a kiss onto his cheek

"I'll look forward to it Love" he replied happily.

There was a knock at the door, Killian looked at the clock, a little before four, it must be Regina. She bustled in carrying a container and David took her coat before she turned to the rest of the room.

"Hello everyone" she said in a strong voice but she looked nervous "I brought pie" she lifted it slightly to emphasis her point.

Mary-Margaret was first to move, she took four quick paces across the room and threw her arms around the Queen giving her a hug.

"I'm so glad you came Regina, thank you"

The Queen looked shocked for a minute before lifting her one free arm and patting Mary-Margaret on the back a few times.

"Yeah, thanks for coming, it means a lot" Emma added with a genuine smile

"Well, I guess that with everything that has been going on, that just maybe you had suffered enough for your stupidity back in our world and maybe I realized that I wasn't entirely blameless in the whole thing either" she shifted uncomfortably and gave Henry a pointed look

"Thank you Majesty" Killian added "It truly does mean a lot to everyone here, including myself that you came"

She gave him an awkward smirk then said more confidently

"WOW... you really know how to decorate a tree!"

The tension was broken as they all laughed, there was a lot of chatting and catching up over the next few hours as they sat down to a delicious meal cooked by Mary-Margaret. The tree sparkled in it's corner and gave the whole room a magical feeling like no other and Killian quickly found himself laughing loudly at anything and everything, it seemed that Christmas has that effect. All too quickly for his liking he began to feel tired and was just considering asking Emma to help him back to his chair when Henry placed a beautifully wrapped gift in front of Regina. She looked awestruck.

"For me?"

"Yep" he answered

"It's from all of us" Emma added, taking hold of Killian's hand

The Queen pulled back the paper to reveal a beautifully bound book, she looked puzzled for a minute then opened it, her hand immediately going to her mouth in surprise. Killian looked over and could clearly see some photographs stuck on the pages. There were some of Henry but there were also others of the Queen with the rest of the Charmings too. She flicked through each page occasionally gasping at a particular photo.

"Where did you get these?" she asked in awe

"I asked around town, there were photos that were taken at kindergarten, school, after school clubs. Ones that I guess you have never seen. But a lot of them were from my albums too, we just got copies made for you. Regina had stopped on a particular photo that had been take in Granny's diner, Killian had no idea who had taken it but it showed the whole family and Regina in very natural poses looking like they were all laughing and having fun, even he was in it. He supposed it must have been taken the night the young prince was named before things went badly.

"We wanted you to know that you are a part of this family too Regina, you always have been and you always will" Mary-Margaret said looping her arm in to David's.

The Queen looked quite teary eyed for a moment.

"But I have not brought gifts for any of you" she said looking mortified

"That's not why we did it, we did it because it felt right Regina, we wanted you to feel part of something, we missed you." Emma added

"Thank you" was all the queen could say as she sat staring at the book

Killian took this moment of silence to tug on Emma's sleeve, she looked at him questioningly.

"What's up?"

"I need to change seat I am afraid Love" he whispered

"Hey, that's OK. We'll all just move over to the comfortable seats. Come on, let's get you up"

He was quite stiff from having sat still too long and his leg gave a particularly bad wobble just as he was passing the Queen.

"This is ridiculous, I may not have brought gifts for all of you but I can give Hook one now" she said standing abruptly

"What are you doing?" Killian practically yelled as she tried to lay her hands on his chest

"Healing you, you idiot" she stated matter of factly "Now hold still"

"NO" he said, trying to jump out of the way

The Queen didn't look angry, she just looked confused

"Why?" she questioned

"I have come too far on my own, been through far too many challenges to have all my accomplishments magicked away in the blink of an eye. I need to do this, I need to see it through to the end, I need to beat this my way. I truly appreciate the sentiment in your actions but these are my wounds to bear"

She gave him an understanding smile "As you please Pirate but if you get sick of hobbling about like a poor old street beggar you know where to find me"

"That I do Majesty, that I do"

By the time bedtime arrived Killian had been snoozing in his chair for a few hours jumping in and out of conversations in his more lucid moments. Emma helped him get ready for bed then tucked him in under his covers before crawling in next to him.

"Tomorrow is Christmas Eve" she whispered into the darkness

"Aye Lass" he replied

"It is going to be so good, just you wait and see" she said giving him a squeeze

"I have no doubt, with our family around us it can't fail to be anything other than perfect" he said squeezing her back

He closed his eyes, today had been a good day but the next two were the ones that he was looking forward to. He had to speak to Henry and David, he needed their help with his plan if it was to go off as he wanted it to. It was going to be perfect. He gave a sigh and let sleep take him, images of Christmas tree lights and gifts danced through his head as he finally slipped from this world into the land of dreams.


	69. Chapter 69

**Thank you all for your kind reviews... I am humbled by all the love this story has been getting :D**

The phone ringing loudly through the loft dragged Emma from her sleep, she turned over and tried to ignore it before suddenly remembering Hook sleeping by her side. She jumped up and darted through the curtain, skidding to a halt by the kitchen counter, phone at her ear in seconds.

"Hello" she said in a harsh whisper

She listened intently to the voice on the other end of the line turning as she heard movement behind her. Her Dad was was coming down the tying his robe as he walked, a questioning look on his face.

"OK, no problem we'll be there soon. I'll get the Fire Truck over ASAP"

She hung up then immediately dialed out, waiting as the phone at the other end of the line rang. Her Mom came down the stairs too, obviously having been woken too.

"What's going on" Emma heard her ask

"I don't know yet but I think it's a fire" Her Dad replied

The grumpy voice on the end of the line brought Emma back to her call.

"Leroy, I need you and the others to get the Fire Truck over to the stables ASAP, they are well and truly burning. They have got all the horses out but we need to get it under control before it jumps over to the farmhouse. We'll meet you guys there. See you soon"

She hung up and turned back to her parents

"You heard that right? We need to go now, if that fire jumps over to the farmhouse they'll lose everything"

"Go" Mary-Margaret encouraged them both.

Emma practically ran to get her clothes, she looked over at Hook as he still lay sleeping. She really didn't want to leave him but hopefully they could get the fire under control quickly and she would be back before he even woke up. She watched him as she dressed, he seemed so peaceful as he gave a deep sigh and turned over slightly but it must have hurt him as he gave a gasp and his brow furrowing for a few seconds before his features smoothed out once again and he settled back into sleep. He probably needed more pain medication but she didn't want to disturb him, she'd let her Mom know so that she could get it for him when he woke up if she wasn't back by then.

Once Emma was fully clothed she lent over the bed, one knee sinking into the mattress as she went. She smoothed the hair from Hook's forehead then dropped a kiss on his cheek, giving him a loving look before scooting back off the bed and heading back out into the main room.

"Ready to go?" her Dad asked

"Yeah." she replied but then turned to her Mom "Mom can you keep an ear out for Hook, I think he needs more meds, he seems to be in some pain but I didn't want to wake him up to give it to him, he'll probably wake up soon enough by himself if he needs it. I hope I'm wrong but won't be surprised if he does and you know what he's like, he'll not ask for the meds he'll just struggle on like nothing is wrong"

"Sure Honey, no problem. I'm not going back to bed anyway, I want to make sure that everything is ready for tomorrow, I had set my alarm for half an hours time anyway."

"Mom, it five thirty in the morning what can you possibly need to do that would mean getting up at six o'clock on Christmas Eve" Emma said in disbelief

"Things... I have things" she defended

"Things?!"

"Yes, things and you won't be complaining tomorrow when everything is perfect now will you?" Her Mom added looking indignant

"If it makes you happy" her Dad added before kissing her Mom on the cheek.

"Come on let's go" Emma said rolling her eyes at her parents

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

He was standing in that damn clearing again, the moon shining brightly in the sky illuminating his immediate surroundings. He looked down at himself and was surprised to see that he was wearing his full Pirate regalia, sword attached to his side. He could hear a child crying off to his left, he turned quickly hand automatically going to the hilt on his belt, he wasn't going to be caught out again. He stared hard into the darkness trying to get his eyes to focus on anything that looked like it was moving.

There was a noise behind him and he spun again to see a set of red eyes staring out at him from under the single tall tree that stood in the middle of the clearing. His hand tightened on his sword, ready to fight if need be. He stared intently at the red eyes but even as he stood watching them they blinked in front of him then doubled. He gasped and took a step back, what the hell? It happened again... and again. Each time the sets of eyes doubled he grew more nervous, what were they doing? Slowly they started to move forward, gliding towards him in a ghostly manner. As they moved closer he could clearly see that they were not just eyes, they were Pan's shadows. Now he knew that he needed to keep them away from himself, he did not want to lose his own shadow if they attacked.

They formed a ring, moving in a circular motion around him but not getting any closer. He was so engrossed in what they were doing that he jumped in surprise when he turned to find David's truck not far in front of him. He was shocked, how had that got there? The shadows suddenly surged up into the air and circled high above him. He instinctively ducked expecting them to swoop down on him but they remained where they were. He looked back down to find the truck lit up in bright sunlight, he could see someone moving on the back. Right, he had them now, he was going to find out who it was even if it killed him.

He strode forward taking long strides but no matter how quickly he moved the truck never got any closer. He stopped, he needed to try something else. He moved to his left slightly but the same thing happened, he wanted to scream in frustration... who was it on the back of the truck? He caught a glimpse of red and Ruby's voice jumped into his head, he was startled by the sound, ducking down still thinking that the shadows were going to attack but they were still circling high above in the darkness. Ruby's voice was getting clearer

"I would have been here earlier but Granny's been doing laundry again and I couldn't find my new sweatshirt, it's the cutest thing you'll ever see. It's bright red with snowflakes and wolves on it, she says that she didn't touch it, I swear if she's shrunk it and just isn't telling me there'll be trouble"

Was it Ruby on the back of the truck, surely not, then he thought harder, no, that couldn't be right, Ruby was in the diner when he saw the person. His mind rambled on, trying to figure it out. He was getting annoyed now, the person was right there and he just couldn't see them.

Something in his brain clicked, he gasped in a breath as realization finally dawned. He stood frozen as the figure on the back of the truck finally stood up with it's back to him. They wore Ruby's sweatshirt that much was true but this most definitely was not Ruby. Even without seeing his face Killian now knew who it was that he had seen, it had been Devin!

Devin started to turn but suddenly the bright sunlight disappeared and Killian was once more left in the shadow's of the moon. There was a cackle of laughter as Devin finally faced him, eyes glowing red like the rest of Pan's shadows.

"Took you long enough to figure it out Pirate. I hope you know that we are far from being done, you and I have unfinished business"

The shadows above started screeching and circling faster whipping up a wind that took Killian's breath away, he lifted his arms to try and protect himself from the flying debris that they were pulling up from the ground all around him. Devin crouched down then launched himself into the air joining the others as they continued to circle but before Killian had time to digest what was going on all the the shadows suddenly stopped, fixing their eyes on him before descending rapidly towards the spot where he stood, he fell to the ground in surprise, scrambling backwards and swinging his hook widely trying to stop the shadows from getting too close. One came particularly near and he dived to his side... and landed with a thump on the floor of the loft, feet still tangled in his bedding.

Pain surged through his entire being as he tried to right himself, he was breathing rapidly. It had been Devin, he had been less than twenty feet from where they had sat in the diner and everyone had failed to see him. Killian needed to tell Emma, she needed to know that he was still a problem, he clearly didn't have any regard for the seriousness of his situation if he was willing to risk being caught in broad daylight in front of Granny's.

Killian was stuck, he couldn't get himself back up from the floor, his right leg was caught up in the bedding and it was pulling on his hip painfully. He was just contemplating shouting on Emma when Mary-Margaret appeared in his vision.

"Oh my Goodness" she exclaimed "What have you done to yourself"

He wondered for a moment where Emma was as Mary-Margaret slowly pulled his bedding back and released his leg, it took his breath away as she lowered it down on to the floor and for what seemed like an eternity the room dipped into shades of gray. He could hear Mary-Margaret speaking but couldn't make out what she was saying, slowly the world came back into focus as he gasped in lungfuls of air trying to bring his pain back to a manageable level.

"Are you OK?" Mary-Margaret asked in a worried voice

"Where is Emma?" he managed to grit out

"Her and David had to go out, there was a fire at the stables, she'll be back soon" she soothed

"Devin, I saw Devin" he suddenly remembered that they needed to know.

"It's OK, it was only a dream" She smiled sweetly at him.

He shook his head "No, I saw him. I just figured it out. He was on the back of David's truck outside the diner when we were there, I saw someone but could not make out who it was but it was him, I know it, it was Devin"

"Devin is dead" Mary-Margaret said though he voice held little conviction

"No, no he is not and you know it" he bit back

"David" Mary-Margaret voice dropped in to a growl, she looked angry.

"Do not be angry with him, he only did what he thought was right and I for one am glad that he trusted me enough to do it"

"Oh Hook, it wasn't about trust. Emma wanted to protect you, you had been through so much and your panic attacks were really bad, she just wanted you to be able to relax without worrying about Devin. We have not seen any sign of him in weeks, I'm sure it is just your mind playing tricks on you now come on, we need to get you up off this floor and back into bed."

She said it like the conversation was over but Killian knew differently, he would not leave this, he would speak to David when they returned surely he would believe him. It took quite a bit of wrestling to get him back up off the floor and by the time he was back in the bed and under his covers he was in so much pain that he couldn't even speak.

"Hook, I know you don't like taking your stronger meds but I really think you should take some now. It's still early, you'll be able to get some more sleep and hopefully by the time Emma comes back you'll feel better. I'm going to make pancakes for breakfast when they get back. Please do it, Emma will be so worried if she thinks that you are in pain"

He gave in quite quickly, the emotional blackmail being only a small part of it, he really was in quite a lot of pain and right now he would be thankful for any kind of medication if it meant he could move without feeling like someone was trying to rip him limb from limb.

Mary-Margaret disappeared for a few minutes then reappeared by his side. He relaxed back into his pillows a few minutes later hoping that the pain would leave him quickly. He needed to be able to function properly later in the day, there was so much going on and he didn't want to miss a thing. Emma deserved a perfect day... maybe he would wait until after Christmas to speak to the Prince about Devin, maybe it wasn't even him, maybe Mary-Margaret was right, maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him, yes that was probably right, Devin was probably long gone. He sighed as he could feel the tug of sleep taking him again, today was going to be perfect and nothing was going to ruin it if he could help it, speaking to David could definitely wait.


	70. Chapter 70

**An early update tonight as I will be watching the finale of "The Great British Bake Off", you don't watch it you say! Shame your face... Go immediately (after reading this of course) and find it, it is AMAZING :D**

 **Poor Hook, will his brain ever stop tormenting him? Will David and Emma manage to get home in plenty of time to enjoy the festivities or will something or someone stop everything in it's tracks?**

Emma stood in the dark farmyard watching in horror as the flames danced high up into the sky. She had literally just stepped out of her Dad's truck but the heat was already nearly unbearable and the smoke was so thick that she was struggling to see the others even though they were just on the other side of the gate that stretched over the entrance to the yard. She could hear the horses whinnying loudly out in the field obviously scared by what was happening.

"We need to get the fire truck to the far end of the yard" Her Dad yelled to the dwarves as he ran round the front of his truck

"You got it Brother." Leroy yelled back, the noise from the fire was unbelievable as it roared it's way through the wooden structure. Emma's eyes fell on the farmhouse at the far end of the yard as the smoke momentarily dissipated enough to reveal the small building before another large cloud billowed out and it disappeared again.

They moved quickly getting the fire truck into position, aiming the hoses straight at the tall flames. Emma ran over to the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt, who along with a few neighbors had been trying to soak the surrounding area with water using a garden hose and buckets from the near by stream, it was the best way to prevent the fire from spreading at ground level.

"Any ideas how this started?" she yelled

"None what so ever, everything was fine when I checked the horses before I went to bed" Mr Schmidt shrugged as he shouted over the noise.

"Well we can check it out later, right now we need to get this out" Emma yelled back.

They worked hard over the next few hours but in the end they finally managed to snub out the flames, they all stood breathing heavily and sweating profusely as Leroy dropped his hose with a thump onto the ground.

"Great work guys" David said happily "That was quite the challenge"

Emma was listening but her eyes had fallen onto something metal lying in the burnt straw by the door. She walked over and crouched down, carefully knocking the sooty remnants out of the way to reveal an old fashioned oil lamp.

"I think I've found how this started, I think you need to lose the oil lamps in future" she said pointing it out to Mr Schmidt

"We don't use oil lamps!" he replied looking puzzled, he walked over and studied the remains on the floor "I've never seen this before in my life"

"OK, so it wasn't accidental then" Emma added

"I'm going to have a look about and see if I can see anything unusual" Her Dad said moving off from the others

"Wait for me, I'm coming too" Emma called after him.

They made their way around the outside of the building, the sun was just starting to rise above the horizon and it looked like there was a snow storm heading their way. Away from the heat of the building the chill in the air was more obvious and Emma pulled her jacket tighter around herself trying to keep out the cold.

They saw nothing out of the ordinary until David spotted what looked like a small pathway heading off around the back of the main house. They followed it for a few minutes until a huge hay barn came into sight.

"Wow, I never knew this was here" her Dad said in awe

"I suppose it makes sense, they have to store the hay and feed somewhere I suppose. Let's go check it out, the dwarves won't be ready to head back for a while yet" Emma replied.

They made their way to the large double doors at the front end and David lifted the simple latch that held them closed and stepped inside, Emma followed. It was quite dark inside and it smelled strongly of the hay that was stacked into a huge staggered wall in front of them. Emma started to move to her right looking around for anything that might help them out, she was just beginning to think that there was nothing to find when she heard her Dad's voice behind her making her turn in surprise.

"Hey, come and look at this. Stand here, what do you see?" he maneuvered her so that she was staring straight down the barn towards the far end, all she could see was hay bales.

"What? What am I supposed to be seeing?" she asked curiously

"Look closely" he said cryptically

She sighed and looked again, she saw nothing but a huge stack of hay bales... but wait, there seemed to be a well trodden path up the edge of the bales leading right to the top. Her eyes went wide, why would someone be climbing up and down there on a regular basis? She looked at her Dad and he smiled widely at her before putting his finger to his lips in a shushing motion and pointing towards the bales.

She climbed behind him, it was hard going but eventually they reached the top and started walking the length of the barn over the huge expanse of hay. As they neared the far end they could see that someone had removed some bales and piled them up essentially making a small den. Emma's heart rate picked up, could Devin actually be in there? This would just be the perfect Christmas gift right here, catching that little demon would make her life complete.

They had no weapons with them, they had left to deal with a fire nothing else but if they were lucky they could catch him by surprise. They approached the entrance to the den cautiously, there were horse blankets tucked between the bales essentially creating a door over the entrance. This was where the missing horse blankets went! It had been Devin, obviously trying to make his den warmer, it must have been FREEZING in here at night.

Her Dad moved slowly, he raised the blanket up and threw it up and over the top of the entrance revealing a small area in side. Emma could see what looked like a makeshift bed running across the far end, more horse blankets were piled over what clearly looked like a figure curled up under them. She looked quickly at her Dad, heart thumping in her chest. They had got him, they had FINALLY got him.

"Right Devin, there is no getting away this time, come one, get up." David said in a loud voice.

The figure remained still, not even a flinch. He must be really out of it. She sighed and stepped down into the den, it was quite warm inside once you got out of the chilly air and she thought for a second that this kid really did know how to survive. Her foot hit something solid and she froze, moving to the left slightly to let more light in, there at her feet was an empty whiskey bottle, her eyes glanced around the small space, there was another and another. Devin had been drinking... a lot! This was where the missing case went from the Rabbit Hole, it had been stolen but not by the dwarves, it had been Devin all along. She met her Dad's gaze as she toed the bottle again showing him what she was seeing, he gave her a wry smile.

"Devin, come on wake up" Emma stepped forward and crouched by the blankets reaching forward and giving him a shake but as her hand connected with what she thought was going to be a solid shoulder it clinked loudly. She grabbed the blanket and pulled it back, the bed was filled with trash, whiskey bottles, soda bottles and basically anything that could be used to make it look like someone was lying beneath the blankets but worse than that was the piece of paper that lying on the make shift pillow. She moved forward and grabbed it.

"Congratulations, you found me. Correction, you THOUGHT you had found me. You now know where I have been hiding for all these weeks but it no longer matters, I will be gone from this town soon enough. The question you should now be asking yourself is, can you make it back home to save the ones you love before I enact my revenge on your stupidly happy family?"

Her stomach hit the floor, it had been a trap... the whole thing was a set up and they had fallen for it again! She was up and running in seconds. She slapped the paper to her Dad's chest as she ran past, his hand automatically coming up to take it from her. She pulled out her cell and hit "home", she needed to warn her Mom, she needed to tell them to get out of there but the line just rang and rang.

"COME ON" she yelled as she barreled down the hay bales towards the doors of the barn, her Dad was hot on her heals obviously now understanding what was going on.

The call kept ringing and she was beginning to lose hope that it would be answered when it suddenly connected.

"MOM. You need to get out of there NOW. Devin is on his way..."

She was cut off mid sentence by the voice on the other end of the line, screeching to a halt as she realized who it was.

"Correction Sheriff, Devin is already here" his voice dripped with mirth, then he laughed hard "I guess you found my note and you now have your answer to my question. No you can't get back in time to save your family... one down, three to go"

He hung up and Emma just wanted to puke on the spot, he was already there. What had he done? One down three to go, what did that mean? Had he killed one of her family? Who? Her mind raced as her Dad came up to her side.

"What's going on Emma?" he said desperately

"He's there Dad, he's in the loft... we need to get there NOW"

They both ran as fast as they could to the truck, Emma had her cell back in her hand. She needed to call Regina, if anyone could get there before them it was her and there was no way that Devin would be able to escape her wrath if she caught him anywhere near Henry.


	71. Chapter 71

**So you didn't like the cliff hanger huh?**

 **Well you're really gonna hate me after this then!**

 **Best get on with the story... * Looks innocent ***

Killian woke with a start but wasn't sure why, the loft was in silence now, had he heard the telephone? His curtained off space under the stairs was dimly lit from the light outside seeping through the blind so he knew it was daytime. He still felt tired, it was always an after effect of his stronger medication but his pain had mostly receded so he was happy. He moved gingerly, slowly pulling himself from his bedding and lowering his feet to the floor. He expected someone to come through the curtain quickly but no one did. He frowned, listening hard and soon realized that it was too quiet, even if Emma and David had not returned where were Mary-Margaret and Henry?

He scooted himself forward towards the edge of the bed and craned his neck to see if he could see anyone through the small gap in the curtain, he couldn't.

"Mary-Margaret" he tried to make his voice carry but not too far in case it was still early and Henry was sleeping.

Where was she? Maybe she was in the bathroom. He finally decided to try getting himself up, he'd have to do it sometime so now was as good a time as any. He readied himself, pulling in a deep breath through his nose but froze, sniffing in another breath... what was burning?

"Mary-Margaret, what is burning?" he shouted louder than before but the silence still hung in the air

He sighed loudly, why would she leave something on the stove then go into the bathroom? He hauled himself upright and took little steps towards the end of the bed where he managed to grasp the metal frame like his life depended on it and maneuver around to get through the curtain. The minute he emerged he could see a frying pan on the stove, thick black smoke rising from it. He moved as quickly as he could, shuffling his way over the small distance between his bed and the kitchen counter almost sighing in relief as his hand made contact with the smooth surface. He used it to lean on as he made his way round to the kitchen side to remove the pan from the stove.

He made it exactly five paces before he stopped in shock as he turned the corner, there lying face down on the floor was Mary-Margaret.

"MAJESTY!" he yelled out but she didn't move. What had happened? Had she fallen?

"HENRY" he shouted as loudly as possible, he needed to wake the lad, he needed his help but as he waited on Henry's reply he realized that there was no sound or movement from the room at the top of the stairs.

"Bloody Hell" he snarled

The pan was forgotten as he shuffled forward. He quickly realized that he could do nothing from his standing position, he needed to be down at floor level but he knew that he would be unable to kneel with his sore hip. Panic was rising inside him, he needed to make sure that the Princess was alright but how was he going to do this. He had no other option he had to get down on the floor.

It was awkward as hell but he managed to slide down the wall by the bathroom onto his backside, he was panting harshly as spikes of pain pulsed through his back and hip but he ignored them and started to scoot across the floor to Mary-Margaret's side. He finally reached her, fingers reaching out to check for a pulse. It was one of the most heart stopping moments of his life as he carefully searched her neck, a huge sigh of relief escaped him as he found what he was looking for. He examined her a bit closer now that he knew she was still breathing, quickly finding a gash on her left temple. She must have fallen and hit her head, think Killian think, he needed to call for help. The telephone!

He started to scoot across the floor again but towards the kitchen counter, he reached his hand up and searched blindly for the contraption that he knew should be within his grasp but came up with nothing fast. Where the bloody hell was it? His blood froze in his veins in the next second as Devin walked around the end of the counter holding the telephone, complete with wires in one hand and what looked like a tire iron in the other.

"Looking for this?" he said smugly, lifting the phone up slightly.

The dots connected in Killian's mind and he immediately turned his head to gaze up into the upstairs bedroom.

"HENRY!" he yelled

"He can't hear you" was all Devin said in a quiet voice

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Killian screamed at him, trying to claw himself upright.

"Now that would be telling" he replied with a laugh.

Killian saw red, this could not be happening, he would not let this happen, not again. He had managed to pull himself up and was now leaning heavily on the counter, teeth clamped together and jaw ticking furiously. He had had enough of this, there was no fear anymore, no panic, all there was was raw hatred. He launched himself forward hoping to catch the boy off guard and it worked as he slammed his fist into the boys face knocking him to the floor but the movement caught Killian off balance and he too tumbled onto the wooden boards.

He lay gasping in pain as Devin groaned next to him, neither in any state to do anymore harm to each other but Devin was first to regain some kind of comprehension of the situation. He sat himself up and gave Killian a feral grin, reaching out for the fallen tire iron.

"I'll give you that one Pirate, good form"

Killian knew he had to move. Rolling quickly, ignoring the pain he crawled commando style to the dining table. Using one of the chairs he managed to pull himself half way up before Devin descended on him, he heard the move more than saw it as Devin gave a grunt in effort. Killian moved quickly to the side which saved his head but it didn't stop the tire iron from slamming down on his left shoulder, his world disappeared as he slumped to the floor and he knew no more.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

Henry jogged up the stairs, he had been to the store to buy eggs for his Grandma who needed them to be able to make enough pancakes for everyone once her Mom and Grandpa got back. As he was approaching the loft door he sniffed hard, was something burning? Grandma must have gotten distracted, probably helping Killian up and forgot the pan on the stove. He smiled to himself, Killian was going to love these pancakes, he'd convinced his Grandma to make them chocolate chip as a treat, it was Christmas Eve after all.

Henry opened the door and walked in, the eggs fell from his hands as his eyes landed on Killian spread out on the floor.

"Killian?" he dashed over leaving the apartment door open.

He didn't even get to the Pirate's side when the loft's door slammed shut and he spun around to see Devin standing there grinning widely at him. Sudden realization hit, Devin had attacked Killian... Where was his Grandma. He looked wildly about the room trying to see her but came back to Devin's face after seeing nothing.

"I'm not scared of you Devin" he said, full of bravado, knowing that if he showed fear now Devin would only feed off of it

"Oh is that right?" he replied, eyebrows going high

"Yes, it is" he moved to his right to parry Devin's move as he stalked forward.

Devin made the first move surging forward, tire iron held high but Henry dodged out of the way at the last moment and Devin ran straight past. Henry moved quickly jumping on to Devin's back and clinging on tight thumping his clenched fist in Devin's head.

Henry was not going to let him hurt anyone else, not ever.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

Killian resurfaced back into consciousness, groaning loudly as the agony made itself clear all too suddenly. Where had Devin gone? He could hear noises and he pulled his eyes open to the sight of Henry clinging onto the back of Devin, thumping the living daylights out of the bloody demon. Killian sighed in relief, Henry was alright, he looked fine. He watched as the fight continued, Henry certainly seemed to have the upper hand and Killian's chest puffed out in pride as the two boys fought but it changed quickly as Devin threw Henry over his shoulder and Killian watched in horror as Devin quickly took control, climbing onto Henry's chest and pressing the tire iron across Henry's throat.

Killian's mind screamed at him to move, he needed to get to Henry, he would not lie here and watch as Devin choked the life out of the lad right in front of his eyes... Blind fury overrode all pain receptors as he hauled himself to his feet and surged forward, he laced his right arm around Devin's neck from behind and lent back causing the pressure on Henry's neck to lift. The spluttering sounds coming from Henry seconds later was like music to Killian's ears, he had done it, Henry was alright. He held tight, Devin's throat being constricted in the crook of his arm but Devin wasn't quite finished yet as he still clung onto the the tire iron. Killian failed to see it as it arched high into the air and struck him on the crown of his head, stars instantly danced in his vision and he staggered backwards inadvertently releasing Devin as he went.

He fell in a heap, exhaustion and agony stealing his breath away as he lay trying to get his eyes to focus, he could still hear Henry coughing but he could also hear Devin too, rasping in great lungfuls of air.

"You are going to pay for that Pirate" a croaky voice sounded near by

Killian's worst nightmares were coming true as Devin suddenly appeared in his field of vision, he looked murderous as he turned to face him.

"This ends NOW" Devin yelled as he stalked towards him, Killian couldn't move, all he could do was watch in horror as the boy stood over him breathing heavily, just waiting on the final blows to rain down.


	72. Chapter 72

**Who will save Hook now? Henry? Possibly Emma and David or will the former Evil Queen swoop in and save the day?**

 **Let's find out shall we?**

Devin stalked forward coming to a halt at Killian's feet, a grin spreading from one side of his face to the other like that infernal cat in Wonderland. Killian could see Henry through Devin's legs, he had finally managed to drag himself up on to his hands and knees near the bottom of the stairs, still coughing but definitely breathing. He tried to think, he needed a way to defeat this creature in front of him but he was completely out of options, there was nothing close enough to his right hand side for him to be able to grab and with the searing pain in his left shoulder there was no way he could manage to maneuver anything using his stump.

He heard a moan from the kitchen then the voice of Mary-Margaret called out from behind the kitchen counter.

"Henry?"

Devin's attention was drawn to the sound, his grin turning into a smirk. He looked like he was just about to speak again when Killian pulled a trick so dirty that any Pirate would have been proud. He pulled his left leg back and kicked out with his bare foot hitting Devin straight between his legs. The air practically whooshed from the boy's lungs and he crumpled forward, knees coming slightly together. His face was bright red as he staggered backwards trying in vain to take away the pain by clamping his hands to his nether regions. Oblivious to the path he was taking he stumbled backwards, his feet tangled with Henry's and in an instant his arms were pinwheeling around him as he toppled over, crashing to the floor with a resounding "clung" as his head connected with the bottom step of the metal staircase, he lay motionless, finally he was defeated.

Killian's own head fell back onto the floor and he stared up at the ceiling breathing heavily.

"Henry?" Snow's voice sounded worried

"I'm OK Grandma, I'm OK" the Lad answered as he pulled himself to his feet and quickly came to Killian's side.

Killian met his eyes, a small smile coming to his face.

"That was a great move" Henry grinned widely

"I thought so" Killian grinned back

Mary-Margaret's face appeared above the counter a hand held to the bleeding gash on her head.

"Oh my" she exclaimed "Hook are you alright?"

"I will be just fine if Henry will just assist me to my feet" he answered back, it was far from the truth but right now he did not want to worry her any further.

Killian bit his lip hard trying to hold in the scream that was threatening to escape from his mouth as Henry pulled him upright then tucked himself under his right shoulder, arm coming around his back for extra support. Killian's left arm hung loosely by his side but if Henry noticed he said nothing. The pair hobbled their way across to the kitchen counter and stopped at the end. Henry ducked out from under Killian's arm leaving him to lean heavily on the work top as he went to check on his Grandmother. Killian's knees were threatening to dump him on his rear again as the pain pulsed simultaneously in his shoulder and head at the same time, he was starting to feel quite nauseous too. He looked around to see if he could get himself onto one of the chairs at the breakfast bar shuffling slightly to his right and trying to reach out with his toes to drag the nearest one closer.

"Are you OK Grandma" Henry hugged Snow tightly

"I'm fine Henry, I promise. What happened?" she sounded confused

"I'm not sure, all I know is that when I came back from the store Killian was lying on the floor not moving and I couldn't see you anywhere. Devin was hiding behind the door, we fought and I was winning too but he flipped me over his shoulder and before I knew it he was strangling me, if Killian hadn't pulled him off..." he trailed off meeting his Grandmother's gaze.

She pulled him into a bone crushing hug just as Killian managed to pull the chair around far enough that he'd be able to slide onto the seat. The back of the chair was flush against the end of the counter but he didn't care, he just needed to get the weight off his leg now before he ended up on the floor again. He tried to get himself up on the chair but no matter how he moved pain shot through him from old and new injuries alike. He looked back over his shoulder at Snow and Henry hugging tightly in the kitchen hoping that one of them would notice his predicament soon, he was not disappointed as Mary-Margaret gave him a small nod.

"Henry, help Hook for a minute will you please, I think he needs to sit down. I need to call your Grandpa and Mom and let them know that they are needed here" she said giving Killian a sweet smile.

Henry came around the end of the counter, walking around Killian, stopping once he was facing him

"Thanks Killian, I mean REALLY thank you." Henry said quietly as he took hold of Killian's extended right arm

"It was my pleasure Lad" he replied

Movement behind Henry had Killian moving on instinct as Devin suddenly reared from the floor gripping the tire iron, a screech of pure hatred coming from his throat. Killian grabbed Henry and pulled him close to his chest, twisting them both around so his back was to Devin's oncoming attack. He tucked Henry's head below his chin and curved himself around the boy just waiting for the strike to connect with his already painful back.

There was a blur of beige as Mary-Margaret flew past him then all Killian heard was Devin's scream being cut off abruptly by what sounded like a sizzling noise , a dull thump and the sound of someone hitting the floor.

"DON'T YOU EVER THINK THAT YOU CAN TOUCH MY FAMILY AGAIN" Snow yelled.

Killian peeked his eyes open and twisted slightly still holding Henry close to his chest. What he saw nearly made him laugh. Mary-Margaret stood over Devin as he lay in an unconscious heap on the floor, she held the still smoking frying pan in her hands as she panted in anger. Killian looked down at the boy lying on the floor, she had clearly hit him straight in the face. His nose was bleeding profusely and there was a definite singed mark across his features.

"No one messes with my family" she huffed out.

Henry extracted himself from Killian's embrace

"Woah Grandma... way to go!" his eyes going wide

He was about to wander away but Killian held onto his sleeve, he really didn't feel well now and still was not on the seat.

"A little help Lad?" he simply said

"Yeah, sorry" he said laughing "My Grandma just went ninja on Devin's ass"

"Yes, yes I did" Mary-Margaret said with a self satisfied nod

Killian had just managed to get up on to the chair, he was facing into the kitchen, the back of the chair was on his right, it meant he couldn't lean back so he just lent slightly to the side, his right arm coming up to rest on the kitchen counter his left cradled in his lap. He breathed through his nausea for a few minutes as he listened to Mary-Margaret speaking on her talking phone. Emma was on her way. Once she arrived he knew that he would need to go back to the hospital, he had a suspicion that his shoulder was broken, he just hoped that Whale would let him leave again tonight, he wanted to wake here tomorrow morning for the festivities.

He was just starting to feel slightly better when a swirl of purple smoke suddenly appeared in front of him making him jump in surprise as Regina emerged seconds later in what looked like silk pajamas and her hair wrapped in a towel.

"HENRY" she immediately yelled

"Mom? What are you doing here?" Henry asked as he ran forward into her embrace

"I was in the shower and when I came out Emma had left a voice mail on my cell, it said that Devin was here!" she said into the top of Henry's head

"He is here but Grandma kicked his ass, with our help too" he said with a grin pointing at Killian then taking the Queen's hand and leading her around the counter to see Devin lying on the floor

"You?" Regina's eyes met Mary-Margaret's "You did this?"

"No Regina, WE did this... and he deserved it. He tried to strangle Henry" Mary-Margaret replied honestly

"He did what?" Regina exclaimed turning quickly to look at Henry more closely

"I'm fine Mom, honest" he struggled away from her scrutinizing gaze

"Yes, well I'll be the judge of that young man, let me see your neck." Regina said, the tone of her voice showing she meant business.

Henry was saved as the apartment door flew open and Emma and David barreled in, coming to a stop in the middle of the room, eyes wide at the scene before them.

There was a lot of questions and a lot of hugging but finally the story was told and everyone was safe. The Queen had magicked ropes around Devin so even if he did come too he would be unable to do little more than flop around like a mermaid out of water.

Killian sat quietly on his chair watching as the family around him dealt with what had happened. Emma had asked him if he was OK and he had simply nodded, it was a half truth but he wanted to wait until the Queen had left before breaking the news that he needed to go to the hospital once more. He was staring into space when Mary-Margaret stepped into his line of sight, ducking slightly to make sure she got his attention.

He met her gaze and gave a small smile.

"I saw what you did you know?" she smiled at him

He furrowed his brow, unsure what she was talking about.

"When Devin was attacking, I saw what you did. You put yourself between Devin and Henry, you were willing to take the strike from that tire iron rather than let Henry get hurt. Thank you" she reached forward and placed her hand on his knee. David had come up to his side mid way through Mary-Margaret's speech.

"Look's like the rum's on me tonight" David said brightly and Killian grinned back, rum sounded good right now.

Before Killian could give any warning of his injuries or prepare himself at all David lifted his hand and clapped him on the shoulder in what was supposed to be a friendly gesture. Killian's back arched in agony and a blood curdling scream escaped him. He gasped in a few deep breaths but it didn't help, the pain just grew and grew becoming all consuming until eventually his eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped bonelessly backwards off the chair into darkness once more.

 **WOW... another cliff hanger, who would have thunk? * whistles innocently ***


	73. Chapter 73

**Sorry for the lack of update last night... family time!**

 **I got up specifically to do this for you guys today so I hope you can forgive me even if it is quite short :D**

"What the hell?" David gasped

Before he really knew what was happening he found himself stopping an unconscious Pirate from hitting the floor. His right arm slid across Hook's back as the man fell backward causing him to stop his downwards descent and slump awkwardly into David's front. David tried to see Hook's face but he was too close, what the hell was going on? The Pirate had looked fine minutes before!

He moved quickly, left arm coming under Hook's legs, lifting him bridal style off of the chair and swinging him round, bringing him down gently onto the hard floor. As David was placing him down Hook was already starting to come back round, groaning quietly as he was jostled.

"Hook... Come on open your eyes. Hook!" David said urgently

Emma dashed forward, worry evident on her face

"Killian?" she gushed out as she slid to her knees on the Pirate's right opposite David.

Hook gave a slightly louder groan and curled over onto his right hand side, gasping in deep breaths. He looked like he was going to be sick, did he have a head injury.

"Were you hit in the head?" David asked quickly but the Pirate didn't or couldn't answer

"Henry?" Emma asked, her eyes coming up to meet her Son's

"I don't know, maybe... I was too busy trying to breath!" he sounded frantic

The Pirate did not look good, he had taken on a very distinct green tinge as he writhed around on the floor. David moved cautiously, he needed to check Hook's head.

"Hook, I'm just going to check your head. Try and lie still if you can" he said gently

His fingers moved quickly, gently roaming through the Pirate's hair until they stopped on what felt like a giant goose egg on the crown of his head and Hook gave another loud groan.

"Emma, call Whale, tell him we're bringing Hook back in and he has a definite head injury"

Emma nodded furiously, immediately jumping to her feet to extract her cell from her pocket but before she had time to do anything Regina stalked forward, kneeling quickly at Hook's side.

"I'm sorry Pirate, I can't stand by and let this go. I know you said that you didn't want my help but this is different, this is not something you have battled against for weeks"

If Hook heard her he made no show of it, obviously caught up in his own world of misery. Regina brought her hands up over his head where they hovered briefly, a soft purple light emanating from her fingertips. Slowly Hook stopped gulping in air and slumped bonelessly onto his side. Head tipping onto the floor.

David watched as the Queen smiled down at Hook but he didn't miss the slight furrow on her forehead as she watched him.

"What?" he asked

"There must be something else, the magic should have worked quicker than this" her face looking concerned as her eyes roamed up and down Hook's prone form.

David thought, she was right, he hadn't hit Hook on the head, he'd clapped his hand on his shoulder.

"Mary-Margaret can you pass me the scissors from the counter" David said urgently going up on his knees to reach for them as they were passed over.

He moved quickly, the scissors coming to the hem of Hook's pajama top and cutting straight up the back and through the neck. He threw them to the side and cautiously moved his hands to the cut fabric, gingerly he took hold of the ragged edge and pulled it upwards exposing the deep purple bruising across the Pirate's left shoulder and back. Hook gasped again at the movement, David's eyes went wide, this looked painful, no wonder the man passed out when he'd hit it, guilt surged through him once more as his eyes came up to meet Regina's.

"What is it?" the queen asked gently, she had lost her harshness, caught up in the moment.

Emma walked around to have a look and gasped but Regina's sass was back in seconds.

"For heavens sake Swan, do you or do you not posses the power of magic? You know that you could do this too if you concentrated that feeble mind of yours, I think you need a teacher sooner rather than later!"

She lent forward and pulled the fabric back further exposing more of the bruising and eliciting another deep moan from the Pirate who was mostly unconscious again. She spread her hands wide and concentrated hard, the purple glow was back and David watched in wonder as it looked like she was sucking the bruises from his skin. In seconds there was no sign of there ever having being an injury.

Hook moved weakly on the floor, still very much out of it but starting to come round.

"He'll be weak for a while, best to get him to bed as soon as possible, he needs to rest" she said matter of factly, standing quickly and brushing her hands down her pajama legs as if to wipe away dirt

The Queen was back to her usual business like demeanor but she was surprised when first Henry then Emma launched themselves forward and hugged her furiously

"Thanks Mom" Henry exclaimed

"Thank you Regina" Emma said over the Queen's shoulder

To David's amusement he watched the emotions run over Regina's face, first confusion, then awkwardness and then finally acceptance as she hugged Emma back

"It was my pleasure Swan, You two deserve a break, the Pirate did just save our Son's life after all." she pulled herself from Emma and Henry's grasp, looked Emma in the eyes and said.

"Merry Christmas Miss Swan"

She then looked over to David, smile falling form her face

"What is he still doing on the floor? Did I or did I not say he needed bed rest?" she strode forward quickly, stopped at David's side and clicked her fingers

Hook vanished from in front of David's very eyes, he jumped up and turned quickly, eyes searching the room, sighing in relief when he could see the Pirate in his bed through the gap in the curtains.

"Look after him" Regina said in a low tone just for David before turning back into the room.

Regina strode back over to Henry, took his face in her hands and gave him a loving stare. Her eyes fell to the bruising on his neck but her smile still stayed in place. She brought one hand down from his face and in seconds the marks were gone.

"Thanks Mom" Henry grinned at her before hugging her tightly again

The Queen hugged her Son for a few seconds before turning to Mary-Margaret

"I can help with that" she said as Mary-Margaret stood with her hand still clutching a handkerchief to her head.

"Thank you" Snow smiled sweetly as the Queen magicked the gash away

"Well, I guess my work here is done" she said "You know where I am if you need me. Henry, I will see you tomorrow. I have to go. David, Mary-Margaret, Emma. Enjoy your day"

"Wait" Emma yelled just as Regina was raising her hand to leave

"Come back tonight... for dinner. My Mom is cooking enough to feed a small army. Tonight is all about family and if we have proved anything over the last few years it's that we are ALL family, so you should be here with us." she gave a hopeful look

"It would be my pleasure"

A simple smile appeared on her face as she bowed slightly forward bidding them farewell then disappeared back into her purple cloud.


	74. Chapter 74

**YAY for Regina...**

Emma stood, stuck to the spot at the foot of their bed, she couldn't take her eyes off of her Pirate. It was FINALLY over and he was still here with her in the loft thanks to Regina. Hook stirred in his sleep, his pajama top was mostly hanging off him after her Dad had cut it up the back but she didn't want to disturb him just to take it off, it could wait. She felt physically exhausted but there was nothing she could do about that right now, she needed to help her parents deal with Devin then sort out the mess in the loft before finishing off the decorations in time for the celebrations tonight.

She sighed loudly to herself as she looked down at herself, she was filthy, in dire need of a shower and smelled strongly of smoke. Turning to go through the curtain she gave Hook one last look as she stepped through into the other room. Henry was picking up bits and pieces from the floor that had obviously been knocked over in all the scuffling, he gave her a smile as he looked up but didn't stop. Emma walked over to her Dad who was standing next to a now very conscious Devin who seemed to have gained a gag from somewhere, it didn't keep him quiet but it meant that his words were unintelligible.

"How's Hook?" David asked

"Sleeping. He seems peaceful enough, I just hope that he's OK for later, he's been looking forward to this for weeks" she replied with a hopeful smile

"He'll be fine Emma. It is over now. Leroy is on his way to help me get this piece of trash to the detention center, Whale is going to meet us there to check him out, I don't want to give him ANY opportunity to escape"

"You need any help?" Emma inquired

"Nope, I've got it covered. Your Mom and Henry will get the loft sorted" he said pointing to the other two who both nodded their heads "why don't you go and have a shower then try and get a couple of hours sleep? You look beat"

Emma would have protested but the sound of a shower just sounded too good so instead she stepped forward and gave her Dad a hug.

"Thanks Dad, that sounds like a great idea"

She headed to grab some clean pajamas then went straight to the bathroom, a hot shower was just what her weary body needed.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

Henry was sweeping the floor with the long handled broom, his Grandpa and Leroy had left a few minutes before, his Mom was in the shower and his Grandma had gone upstairs to feed Neal. He lent on his broom, they had made good progress with the clean up, he just had to sweep over by the tree and then he'd be done.

He was just about to head over to get stuck in when he thought he heard a noise. He listened intently, there it was again, it was coming from behind the curtain. He thought nothing of it, Killian often made noises in his sleep but suddenly this was different, he realized something must be wrong when he heard him call out his name in a panicked voice. Henry dropped the broom and ran through the curtain to find the Pirate standing beside the bed, only one arm still in his pajama top, the rest of it hung loosely from his right wrist, pooling onto the floor in a tangle of fabric. Killian's eyes were wide and frantic looking, Henry recognized the confused look, he must have been dreaming again.

"Henry?" he gasped out, extending his left arm out towards him

Henry walked forward intending on stopping just in front of the Pirate but as he got closer Killian's arms came out and pulled him into a tight hug.

"I thought I'd lost you Lad" he breathed into his ear

"I'm fine, honest" Henry hugged Killian back, he could feel the Pirate shaking slightly an after effect he often suffered.

Killian finally released Henry although his hand remained on the back of his neck, still caught up in the pajama top.

"I'm OK" he gave Killian a smile which the Pirate returned

"Aye Lad, that I can see. Where is Devin?" Killian suddenly looked over Henry's shoulder as if he would be able to see where he was.

"Grandpa and Leroy took him away... how much do you remember of what happened?" Henry asked

Killian's brow furrowed into a confused expression.

"It is quite muddled..." his eyes suddenly sprung wide open "What happened? I am quite sure that I had suffered a damaged shoulder and what I also perceive to be, what this realm calls "a concussion" yet my shoulder and head seem to be healed."

"My Mom... my other Mom I mean. Don't be mad at her Killian, she did it to help you, believe me when I say if I could have done it myself I would have. After you fell off the chair you were in so much pain and you looked like you were about to puke so badly that she just wanted to help."

"I'm not angry Lad" he said with a smirk "I did not want to spend another minute back in that hospital, believe me when I say that I am grateful beyond words."

Killian's leg gave a wobble and Henry immediately grabbed his arm to steady him.

"So she didn't heal all of you then" Henry said sadly

"It would appear not, although I think she may have let a little bit of that magic reside in me, it doesn't feel quite as bad as it did this morning"

Henry helped Killian sit back down on the bed and chuckled as he took hold of the ruined pajama top and tugged it off.

"Let me get you a new one of these"

Henry moved off to the set of drawers returning a few minutes later and helped Killian slip in to the fresh top before sitting next to him on the bed. They sat side by side just happy to be able to do it until Killian suddenly looked to the side and gave Henry a mischievous look.

"I need your assistance Lad"

"Sure, what's up?" Henry was intrigued

"I have a plan for tomorrow but I need you and your Grandparent's help" Killian raised an eyebrow "Are you in?"

"Aye" Henry replied lifting his own eyebrow in reply.

Hook tried to turn towards Henry but froze with a grimace, obviously his Mom's magic hadn't made that much of a difference.

"Let's get you back into bed then we can discuss it, I was beginning to wonder if you'd forgotten about operation "Heart" with everything that's been going on" Henry was excited, this was going to be awesome

A few minutes later Hook was lying back on his pillows and Henry lounged next to him on his Mom's side of the bed ready to hear the details of his plan, excitement bubbling in his belly.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

Emma emerged from the bathroom, there was nobody about, where was everyone? She could hear soft mumbling noises from behind the curtain, Hook must have woken up. She peeked through but suddenly stopped, the sight that met her could have melted her heart. Hook lay on his back which was nothing special but Henry lay sideways across her side of the bed, the back of his head resting on Hook's stomach, knees bent and feet flat on top of the covers. Hook's left arm was lying across Henry's torso as Henry held the iPad up so that both of them could see it.

"This one?" Henry asked pointing to something on the screen

"Aye Lad, that's the one. It is perfect." Hook replied with a grin

He looked like he was just about to say something else when he suddenly seemed to sense her, his eyes jumping up to see her standing just inside the curtain. He looked shocked for a second before he schooled his features into an easy smile.

"Hello Love"

"Hey Mom" Henry grinned

"Room for another?" Emma asked, nodding her head to the bed.

"Sure" Henry said, immediately sitting up and spinning his legs around to free her side of the bed

Emma climbed on and lay down next to her two favorite boys, Henry scooted down and snuggled into her side, her arm came around his back and searched for Hook who promptly rolled over on to his left side to face her his hand coming into hers. She lay for a few minutes just loving the fact that they were all here together and everyone was relatively alright.

"What were you two up to?" she asked curiously

"Nothing" they both chimed together, Henry grinned widely at her and Hook tried to look innocent.

Yeah, they were definitely up to something but it just made her all the more happy to know that Hook involved Henry in his mischief. She snuggled closer to her Son and gave Hook's hand a squeeze, she suddenly wished that their day could stay like this, just her and her boys, she closed her eyes and gave a contented sigh, sleep took her quickly as she relaxed for what seemed like the first time in months, life was definitely looking up for her little family.


	75. Chapter 75

**Not much left to go now, I'm sad that it is ending. I hope you all have enjoyed my tale.**

 **Not quite finished yet, I do believe we still have Christmas Eve celebrations and of course waking up on Christmas morning too.**

 **Will Hook's plan go smoothly?**

 **Let's find out.**

Killian awoke some time later to find Henry gone but Emma still sleeping soundly by his side, he briefly thought about waking her but decided against it, she obviously needed it. This decision made him realized that this now caused him an issue, he needed to use the bathroom. Sighing to himself he pulled the blankets back and placed his feet on the floor, willing to see just how much magic the Queen had used upon his person.

He pulled himself upright and experimentally bounced a little, testing his legs. He was a little sore and his legs still held that very stiff and heavy feeling but he was much better than he had been in a very long time. He took a tentative step forward, then another until he finally managed to make it through the curtain. He was starting to tire now but knew someone would be on hand once he got out into the main room.

"Hook!" David's voice rang out from somewhere close by, he was by his side in seconds "What are you doing out of bed?"

"Call of nature Mate" was all he said

"Ah, well let me help you, at least to the bathroom door"

David gripped his right arm tightly as they made their way across the floor.

"Where is your Princess and Henry?" Killian suddenly asked, realizing that they were missing

"Gone to the store, I don't know what Mary-Margaret can possible have left to buy but she insisted that she needed a few more things!"

Killian chuckled to himself as they passed the kitchen counter

"How are you feeling?" David asked eyeing him suspiciously

"Better... Better than I have in a long time being honest. I believe I owe the Queen for that"

David nodded but looked away quickly unwilling to meet Killian's gaze, he felt guilty. Killian stopped abruptly causing David to look up in concern.

"You have nothing to feel guilty about Mate. You were not to know that I had sustained yet another injury, I should be thanking you"

David looked confused "What? Thanking me?"

"If you had failed to put your hand on me I would never have fallen from the chair and Regina would never have realized that I was injured. I had planned on not sharing the news until after she had left soooooo... Thank you" he gave him a silly grin

David grinned back as they started to move forward once more. He left Killian once he was inside the room instructing him to yell if he needed him. That was NOT going to happen... Ever!

Killian emerged a few minutes later and managed to hobble the few paces across the floor to his chair and slumped down, grateful to have the weight off his feet.

"You hungry?" David asked from the kitchen

"Aye, starved"

Killian hadn't thought about it until that moment but now that he had his stomach felt like it was doing somersaults, he sniffed the air hungrily as the smell of bacon hit his nostrils causing his mouth to instantly water but he sighed heavily, the Prince had obviously forgotten that he was not allowed such things

"I hate to stop your hard work but I am..." he was cut off by David

"Hook, it's Christmas Eve. Live a little, just make sure you chew it properly and you should be fine. Whale wanted you moved on to more solid food anyway. What? You are trying to tell me you don't want to try Mary-Margaret Christmas dinner tomorrow."

Killian just smiled, David was right. His throat did feel much better too, maybe Regina's magic had helped more than he had thought it had.

A few minutes later and David placed a plated bacon sandwich into his lap

"Sorry it's not crispy, didn't want to push my luck with the whole choking to death thing!"

Killian tried to look positive but he was feeling decidedly nervous all of a sudden but the smell from the bacon was just too tempting. He lifted the sandwich to his mouth pausing briefly to meet eyes with the Prince who gave him a nod before taking a small bite. The flavors were beyond words as he chewed vigorously for much longer than he usually would then swallowed it down, raising his eyebrows high when there was no pain. He took another more confident bite and gave David a wide smile as he chewed. In minutes he had eaten every last crumb.

"THAT was THE best sandwich I have ever tasted... thank you Mate" he said as he handed David the plate.

"That's only because you haven't tasted peanut butter and jelly" David replied with a chuckle

Killian sat silently as the Prince worked in the kitchen, washing the dishes. This was his chance to speak to David alone, his heart rate picked up slightly, he needed to ask him for his help and now seemed like the perfect opportunity but Killian was nervous.

"I need to ask a favor Mate" he looked over at the Prince

"What is it?"

"Not like this" he motioned to the curtain "Swan will hear"

David dried his hands off on the towel from the kitchen counter before he walked back over to Killian's side, crouching as he got there.

"Well?" he said raising his eyebrows in question

Killian shifted nervously on his chair, was he really about to do this? David huffed out a sigh.

"Would you just ask already?"

Killian sucked in a deep breath before rambling out his words.

"I want to ask Emma to marry me tomorrow, I have a ring, have done for weeks. I had planned to do it much sooner, maybe on a moonlit sail but as we both know I will not be sailing any time soon" He looked cautiously at the Prince, waiting for his wrath

"And?" David asked motioning for further clarification

"You are not angry?" Killian had been expecting some indignation, was it not tradition for Father's to subject potential suites to at least some interrogation

"Why would I be angry? She loves you, any idiot can see that" he gave Killian a genuine smile "BUT if you hurt her, I WILL kill you" he added, meaning every word.

"I give you my word that if I do I will not resist you in any way... I would die for her everyday for all eternity if need be"

The two men knew each was telling the truth. Silence rang out into the room until David suddenly spoke.

"So what's this favor you need?"

Killian grinned at him, this was going to work just fine, his Swan would never see this coming.


	76. Chapter 76

**Firstly I do apologise profusely for my faux pas last night, thank you to andria for pointing out the fact that I had posted chapter seventy four twice... It was late, I was tired and I'm also a bit of a plum apparently lol**

 **Never mind, I got there in the end!**

The rest of the morning passed quickly as the family busied themselves in preperation for their evening and the following day. Killian found himself once more helping with gift wrapping but this time they had found a rhythm, he hooked the tape dispenser with his left hand and tore bits off with his right sticking down edges where Emma told him. Music was playing, the fire was roaring and the smell of cooking wafting through the air was almost too much to take.

Killian glanced hopefully at the clock on the wall, lunch was at one. He still had half an hour to go, Gods, his stomach grumbled loudly in protest. Emma looked up at him with a smile, had she heard that?

"Hungry?" she laughed

"Aye" he replied with an embarrassed smile

Emma got up and went to the fridge returning with a protein shake.

"Here, have this. Lunch is probably gonna be a bit late by the look on my Mom's face and we can't have you starving to death now can we?"

"Thanks Love" he said before lifting the glass to his mouth and gulping down some of the contents.

About twenty minutes later there was a knock at the door. Who could that be? Emma stood with a knowing smile and quickly walked to the door, pulling it back to reveal Rufio, Tiger Lily and Rapha all looking decidedly cold, faces rosy and glowing.

"Thanks for coming guys, come on in. This was actually Hook's idea a few weeks back and now that he's home we figured that we should make it happen"

Emma took their coats then ushered them into the room, Rapha instantly ran over to Henry and the two boys headed to the living area, sitting on the couch side by side chatting animatedly. Rufio and Tiger Lily joined Killian at the table, he tried to stand as Tiger Lily sat but Rufio clamped his hand in Killian's shoulder.

"Just stay sitting, it's fine, we all know you are a gentleman" he laughed

Killian beamed back, this day just got better and better. Lunch was served about an hour later then they moved across to the comfortable seats where they sat happily chatting for a while before Henry suggested a Christmas movie. They had decided on "A Nightmare Before Christmas", Killian found himself recognizing many of the songs from his playlist, he found the movie itself quite confusing but Henry and Rapha seemed to enjoy it so he didn't mind.

He was beginning to feel quite sleepy, the loft was warm and the sound of laughter around him made him smile as Emma came up to his side.

"Hey, you want to head to bed for a while? It'll be a few hours before diner and I think you'll be happier later if you sleep now"

He couldn't disagree. Emma helped him to his feet and everyone wished him sweet dreams as he made his way back through the curtain into his little cut off space. In minutes he was settled back on his pillows with Swan at his side.

"You do not need to stay with me Emma, you can return to the others" he said stroking her face lovingly

"I will, I just want to lie here with you for a bit" she replied falling back next to him

Silence rang out about them until Emma spoke again

"It's nice isn't it?" she came up on her elbow to look at him then added "Christmas. I never really celebrated it before. When I was a kid I wished that Santa would bring me my parents, as I grew I thought that would never happen... How wrong was I?" she added with a giggle before snuggling into his side.

He hugged her closer, his chin resting on her head and gave a contented sigh, yes this Christmas would be the first of many that he and his Swan would spend together and next year they would have their very own place to decorate. Images of the Jolly Roger bestowed with bright lights and a large Christmas tree ran through his head as he finally closed his eyes to sleep, yes, they certainly had a lot to look forward too.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

David had thought that Emma would have returned after helping her Pirate to his bed but half an hour later and she was nowhere to be seen. He silently crept over to the curtain and peeked through as the others continued their hushed conversations while watching another movie. She was tucked into his side, clearly asleep. He smiled to himself, she looked so peaceful in the arms of the man she loved. He marveled at how far Hook had come in such a short time, a year ago if anyone had dared to suggest that he would be happy that Captain Hook was going to propose to his daughter the very next day he would have punched them in the face but now here he was helping the Pirate with his quest for true love.

He felt a hand touch his back and Mary-Margaret's face appeared by his side seconds later.

"Hey" she smiled sweetly

"Hey yourself" he smiled back.

"They look so happy, it's hard to believe what they have both gone through but they have come out the other side stronger than ever, this is the kind of thing that defines a relationship, if they can get through this and come out stronger, they can get through anything" Mary-Margaret said staring at the pair in the bed

"Well I think our good Captain is about as committed to this relationship as he can be" David said cryptically

"What do you mean?" she asked furrowing her brow

"Come with me, I need to tell you something" he said giving her a wide grin before taking her hand and leading her to the upstairs bedroom.

The loft was relativity quiet, their visitors and Henry sat watching their movie which played out at a low volume and Hook and Emma slept soundly below but in the next minute the silence was broken as Mary-Margaret squealed at the pitch of her voice.

"REALLY? OH MY GOODNESS, ARE YOU BEING SERIOUS? I HAVE SO MUCH TO PLAN"

David sighed, his hand coming to his face. Mary-Margaret was rambling now, looking frantic as she started making mental notes of all the things she needed to do. He moved quickly.

"Shhhhhhhh... You are going to give it away" he hissed "She hasn't even said yes yet"

"Sorry" Mary-Margaret said in a low whisper "I'm just so excited"

"I know but you cannot tell ANYBODY. Hook asked me to tell you so that you could help with "Operation Heart", he is trusting you not to give the plan away"

"I won't, I promise. I have dreamt about this moment for months. Oh David, she is going to be so happy" she said pulling him into a hug

"I know, she really does love that idiot"

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

Emma awoke with a start, had someone just screamed? She listened intently, heart thumping in her chest. She knew that Devin was gone but the last few weeks had left her jumpy and on edge. She could hear the TV and the soft mutterings of the people in the living room but she could also hear her parents in the room above her. She figured that her mind must have been playing tricks on her as she relaxed back into her Pirates side.

Now that she was awake, she no longer felt tired so after a few minutes she reluctantly pulled herself from the bed and headed back out into the main room. Her Mom and Dad were coming down the stairs as she entered.

"Emma!" her Mom proclaimed, stepping forward and hugging her

She was caught unawares, why was her Mom hugging her? She brought her hand up and awkwardly patted her on the back

"What's going on?" she asked cautiously

"Nothing!" Mary-Margaret said, giving her best "innocent" face

Her Dad looked uncomfortable for a minute before giving her a wide grin

"Can't we just be happy that this is finally all over and that everyone is alright" he said stepping forward and throwing his arms around both of them.

"Sure" Emma replied

"We love you Emma" Mary-Margaret whispered into her ear

"I love you guys too" she replied, closing her eyes and falling deeper into her parents embrace

Emma felt guilty, her parents were just happy that she was OK and here she was thinking that they were up to something. She stepped back from them and gave them a broad smile.

"I need to go get ready, I'll leave Hook for another hour or so then I'll get him up and showered. He is looking forward to dinner, I told him all about your famous Christmas Eve feast and I swear his eyes nearly popped out of his head."

Emma gave a small chuckle to herself as she walked towards the bathroom, watching Hook enjoy Christmas for the first time was like watching a kid, his face was so expressive in everything he did unless he realized he was being watched then he tried to hide it but she loved how excited he was for everything new. She couldn't wait for tomorrow, she had managed, with the help of her Mom, to get him something that she knew he would love and couldn't wait for him to open his gift just to see the look on his face but first there was a huge meal to eat and all the Christmas Eve traditions to get through, this was going to be so much fun.


	77. Chapter 77

**Let the fun begin...**

The evening arrived all too quickly. David watched as Emma helped Hook over to the table. He was wearing a dark set of pants and on his top half he wore a distinctly Christmassy looking shirt, it was a dark red with a tiny little holy and ivy pattern running through it and over the top he wore what looked like a new vest, it was made of fabric instead of his normal leather. His hook was firmly in place and David could clearly see he was wearing his own kohl, it gave his eyes a much smokier look than Emma's eyeliner. He looked good. Good God, was he really impressed by the Pirate's guyliner?!

David's eyes fell to Hook's feet and he chuckled to himself when he saw he was in his stocking soles but an image of Hook hanging from that tree, one shoe missing popped into his head and his smile fell. Now was not the time to dwell on these things so he shook himself and walked over to the table carrying the bread basket and placed it down in the middle.

"Looking good Captain" he said giving Hook an appraising look

"Sorry your Majesty, I am already taken" the Pirate replied with a grin which caused a chuckle to ripple around their guests.

"Very amusing, just remember I still owe you one?" David said sliding onto his chair

"Would you two behave and let this silly game go" Mary-Margaret chastised

"What? I didn't start it!" David retorted

"Well that may be but I am ending it. Now come on our dinner is getting cold" Mary-Margaret said with some finality

David sighed but grinned widely in the next minute when he met eyes with Hook and the Pirate was giving him a look that clearly said "Game on" before he looked innocently at Emma raising his hand to absentmindedly scratch behind his ear when she caught him grinning. She just rolled her eyes and shook her head.

David tucked into his meal, Mary-Margaret had prepared a traditional fish dish and it tasted amazing. He was just taking his second bite when Hook spoke

"This is most delicious Highness, I have not had fish of this caliber in a very long time. I am unfamiliar with the fish of this realm, what is the name of this one?"

"Cod" Mary-Margaret said with a smile

"Codfish" Hook said brightly.

He was lifting another forkful to his mouth but it never reached it's target as Henry and Emma burst into fits of giggles. The Pirate looked confused, he looked around the table at the others, bewildered.

"What is so funny? All I said was Codfish"

Emma was practically crying by now and Henry was laughing so loudly that most of the others had joined in. David laughed along too, the Pirate had no idea that he had just spoken the cry of his animated counterpart. David's gaze fell on the former Evil Queen who was also laughing loudly along with everyone else. In the end Hook could do nothing else but join in until Henry suggested that he say that he was a codfish then his face fell into a scowl as he realized that they were laughing at him not with him. David felt sorry for the man at that point, he lifted his knife and tapped it on the edge of the glass, the table fell silent around him. He lifted the glass in front of him.

"To family" he simply stated

Everyone including the good Captain lifted their glasses and toasted along with him.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

When the meal was finally over the family moved over to the comfortable seats, Emma balance on the arm of his recliner, her hand resting on the back of his neck. He took her hand in his and gave it a loving squeeze and she looked down at his face.

"You alright?"

"Aye Love, just a bit tired but I will be fine for the moment" he said with a soft smile

"Just don't over do it, no one will mind if you nap" she whispered

He just nodded slightly but turned his gaze to the room, he didn't want to miss anything. Henry and Rapha were up to something, he watched with interest as they hung a picture of what looked a bit like a deer on the wall.

"Who wants first go?" Henry yelled

Killian was confused already but he just stayed quite and watched as David got to his feet.

"What's the prize?"

Henry thought for a moment "The last salted caramel cookie" he said with a sly grin

Killian watched as Henry tied a blindfold around David's eyes then handed him a little red dot. David was spun on the spot then positioned in front of the picture on the wall, he reached forward and stuck the dot to the paper immediately pulling the blindfold back and grinning widely as it was positioned nearly where the animal would have it's nose

"Nailed it... well nearly, that cookie is mine"

Henry went next, then Mary-Margaret followed by Rapha, Rufio and Tiger Lily in quick succession but no one got their dot closer.

"Come on Mom" Henry yelled pulling Regina to her feet, she looked uncomfortable spluttering a bit as she rose but once the blindfold was in place Killian could see her competitive streak showing through. She looked thunderous as the blindfold was removed and she realized that she was no closer than any of the others.

"My turn" yelled Emma jumping up from the arm of his chair.

He watched her, willing her to beat her Father just so he could see the look on his face when it happened but she failed too.

"HA... that cookie is mine" David yelled, looking very smug

"Now, wait right there" Killian said lowering his feet to the ground "I do believe that this game is open to all in the room and I think you will find that I have yet to have my turn"

David's face fell and Emma looked concerned as she came up to his side and helped him up onto his feet.

"Are you sure?" she whispered

"Aye Love" he gave her a wide smile

They slowly made their way over then Henry tied the blindfold in place around Killian's eyes. He grinned widely to himself as he was spun only once, obviously they didn't want to push their luck. He was unsure why but Killian had an uncanny ability to find things, his many years of guiding a ship with little more than the stars had given him a sixth sense as to where things were around him, his natural instinct kicked in as he stepped forward with confidence and stuck his dot in place. He knew before the blindfold was even removed that he had won as the room erupted with loud cheers. He reached up and tugged the cloth from his eyes to see his dot perfectly in place.

Several minutes later he sat back in his chair with his prize in his hand.

"That was amazing Killian, How'd ya do it?" Henry asked in awe

"Pure luck Lad, pure luck" he said with a grin

He watched as the first game was packed up and Henry started working on the next, he had called it "Twister" and informed him that he would not be able to play but he could spin the dial. He had nodded even though he had no clue what was involved, if it made Henry happy who was he to argue. He raised the cookie to his mouth, just about to take a bite when a hand swooped in and snatched it from his grip.

"I told you Pirate, do you remember? I told you that I'd get revenge for you helping those two" David pointed at Henry and Rapha "Do you remember when you helped them to steal the last cookie right out of my hand? I told you then that I would do the same to you and well, the opportunity just presented itself so who am I to ignore it?"

Killian couldn't be mad, the Prince had a point. He just smiled at the man as he devoured the cookie from the other side of the room.

"Duly noted" Killian replied, oh he would get revenge.

Over the course of the evening several different games were played, Killian must have nodded of at some point as when he awoke it was to find that their guests had left. He looked at the clock and noted that it was nearly nine thirty. Emma must have seen him wake as she was by his side in seconds.

"Hey there" she greeted

"Hey Beautiful" he said with a sleepy smile.

"I'm glad you woke up, we've been waiting on you to do the next bit" Emma said in excitement

He sat his chair up slightly as Henry suddenly appeared holding a gift, he placed it in Killian's lap before returning to the tree and retrieving one for each of them. Killian sat in wonder, he thought that the gifts were given the next day.

"We get to open one gift tonight" Henry grinned

They all started ripping back the paper so Killian did the same to reveal a pair of VERY Christmassy pajamas, he thought that they were mocking him again until he looked up and saw that everyone had some.

"It's not called the silly season for no reason, Just go with it" David said as he gave a resigned smile.

Emma helped him to the bathroom where they both changed and took care of business before heading back into the room. David sat on the couch as they reentered.

"Come see this" he said motioning for them to come over, Killian's iPad held in his hand

Emma helped Killian sit down then looked at the screen with interest until she saw that the Prince was showing Killian the line up for the next day's Football fixture. She mouthed "Sorry" to him before she scuttled away leaving him trapped next to her Father, listening to him describing what seemed like the most confusing game he had ever heard of.

A few minutes later, everybody had returned, each wearing their own little piece of Christmas and Mary-Margaret supplied them all with hot chocolate before settling down with the young Prince in her lap. Killian had come to appreciate the hot drink a lot since he started courting Emma and he took a blissful mouthful as he settled back to watch the movie that Henry had picked out, "Elf".

"You want to move back to your chair?" Emma asked

"I am fine here Love as long as your Father does not mind the company" he said turning to David

"As long as you don't snore when you fall asleep" he replied with a smile

"Pirates do not snore" Killian replied indignantly

The room burst into laughter

"Uhm I hate to break it to you, if that is the case you are either not a Pirate or your statement is wrong because you most definitely DO snore" Emma snorted

Killian tried his best to look upset but it didn't last long as Emma scooted into the space next to him, linking her arm in his.

"Just as well, I find it adorable" she gave him a loving look then lent in for a kiss

As good as the movie was Killian couldn't help falling asleep again, the hot chocolate had made him warm and fuzzy and the day had been a long one. He sighed contentedly as he relaxed back into the back of the couch and let his eyes slide shut surrounded by the ones he loved.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

Emma sat up and stretched as the movie finished playing. Henry was yawning widely and her Mom had jumped up, clearing the mugs away, Neal tucked in the crook of her arm.

"Bed time I think" Her Mom said in a soft tone.

Emma turned to look at Hook and nearly laughed when she realized that both he and her Dad were sleeping. They were leaning into each other, mouths open, heads tipped back. They looked so adorable in their Christmas pajamas that Emma's heart skipped a beat. She sat staring until an evil little thought popped into her head, where was that iPad? She knew just how to end this stupid feud that they had going on. She gently took the iPad from between the cushions, turned on the camera and took a few snaps of the pair sleeping together. If this wasn't enough of a threat she didn't know what would be. She giggled to herself as she sent the photos to her cell then deleted them from the pad, they wouldn't know what had hit them if they chose to carry on with their silly game after she gave them an ultimatum! She briefly wondered if the Daily Mirror would be interested in an anonymous tip off about the Sheriff and his Pirate lover, yeah, this would stop them in their tracks that much she was sure of.


	78. Chapter 78

**OMG IT'S CHRISTMAS MORNING**

Killian woke early... much too early.

He was too nervous to sleep. He fidgeted, trying to get comfortable, he turned slightly and he could see Emma laying by his side in the dull light, she was breathing heavily in her sleep but no matter what he did sleep would not come to him. He fidgeted again which caused Emma to stir, Killian instantly froze not wanting to wake her but she just turned over and settled back down.

Eventually he pulled himself from the bed and hobbled through to the other room, pausing briefly to rest by the table. The room was still quite warm from the fire that had died down but he still shivered against the temperature change. There was enough light to see where he was going, the snow was falling again outside giving a warm glow from the street lamps. Dropping down into his chair he grabbed his blanket and threw it over his legs before flicking on the small lamp next to him.

"Couldn't sleep either?"

Killian jumped, heart instantly thumping against his ribs before his brain registered the Prince sitting opposite him on the couch.

"Good Gods Man... Are you trying to kill me? What are you doing sitting in the dark?" Killian said still clutching his hand to his heart.

David gave a laughed "I imagine pretty much the same thing you were about to do but without the light"

Killian laughed too, his heart settling down quickly once he realized that their was no danger.

"You know that I have been near to death too many times these last few weeks. To die here by your hand would have been the ultimate irony"

David just grinned at him before asking "So is "Operation Heart" still a go?"

"Aye, most definitely." I just need to wait until Swan goes for her morning shower then we are on" he gave a nervous puff of breath

"You'll be fine" David said with a genuine smile before his brow furrowed slightly then his eyebrows shot up "Does this mean I have to call you Son now? Son?"

David sat laughing to himself, Killian was not so amused, was this going to be the Prince's new torture? David got up and made his way to the kitchen.

"You want some cereal?" he asked in a hushed tone

Killian just shook his head, the thought of food made him feel quite queasy in his nervous state so he just relaxed back in his chair and watched the Prince as he made himself breakfast. David was just making his way back over when Mary-Margaret came down the stairs, hair sticking up at odd angles.

"What's wrong?" she asked

"Nothing, sorry, did we wake you? I guess we are both a bit nervous about today" David apologized dropping a kiss on her cheek as he made his way to the table.

"Me too" she gushed out bringing her hands to her mouth in an effort to keep her voice low.

Killian gave her a lazy smile as she walked past towards the Christmas tree, she flicked on the lights and the room instantly felt ten times more magical and Killian knew where he wanted to ask Emma his question... right in front of that Christmas tree.

Time seemed to pass really slowly , Henry came down the stairs a little while later grinning widely and EVENTUALLY at eight fifteen Emma finally poked her head through the curtain and called.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS"

They all greeted her back and Killian tried to get to his feet to meet her but she was too quick, coming to his side before he'd got his feet on the floor.

"Hey you, I missed you when I woke up and you weren't there"

"Sorry Love, I couldn't sleep"

"You OK?" she asked quirking a brow

"Aye Love" he replied taking hold of her hand before playfully tugging her forward. She bent down into him and kissed him sweetly before he added "Merry Christmas Love"

Mary-Margaret made food for everyone and they all settled around the table to eat. Killian tried his best to join in but the butterflies in his belly were playing havoc with his appetite.

"You sure that you're OK?" Emma whispered behind her hand "You don't look very well"

"Just tired Love" he whispered back "Perhaps I will try to get some sleep while you take your shower"

He hoped that this would be the prompt that she needed to head to the bathroom as soon as breakfast was finished and it seemed to work as she instantly fell into "Mothering Swan" mode.

"That sounds like a good idea." she said taking his hand and giving it a squeeze.

The breakfast dishes were cleared and David helped Killian back to his chair, he tried his best to act tired but his heart was now hammering so hard in his chest he was frightened Emma would hear it. David grabbed his blanket and made a point of saying in a loud voice.

"Here, get some sleep. You need to be awake in time for the game later"

Giving him a wink before throwing the scrunched up blanket over his face.

"Dad!" Emma chastised her Father before helping Killian to untangle the blanket and spread it over his legs. She dropped a kiss on his forehead as he closed his eyes.

"Sweet dreams" she said loudly then whispered "I'll save you from the football, I promise"

He opened his eyes and grinned widely at her.

"Thanks Love"

Emma moved off and he closed his eyes once more pretending to go to sleep but he listened intently, just waiting on her heading out of the room.

"Are you going to shower" Mary-Margaret asked innocently

"In a while" she replied "I want to get the rest of the gifts under the tree first, that way when Hook wakes up we can do the presents. I want everything to be perfect"

Would this woman ever do anything the easy way? He sighed loudly to himself.

"I hope he's OK" he heard her whisper, she sounded worried "He's been too quiet this morning, I know he's been looking forward to this for weeks but he just seems off, I hope that he's not coming down with something"

"He'll be fine Emma, he's just tired" he heard David chip in

"Come on Mom, I'll help you get the gifts, are they still under your bed upstairs?" Henry's happy voice carried through the air

"Just how do you know what I have under my bed?" Emma asked in a teasing tone

Henry laughed then he heard the two of them make their way up the stairs. A few minutes later they came back down both giggling profusely. There was lots of shushing and much more laughter until finally he heard the magical words that he had been waiting for as Emma walked back towards the kitchen.

"Right, I'm going to shower"

A few minutes later he heard the door close and his head instantly snapped up, grin wide on his face, David and Henry ran across the room and practically yanked him from the chair.

"Come on Pirate, we have twenty minutes tops" David said in a harsh whisper

Henry's excitement was contagious, he giggled uncontrollably as they walked and Killian couldn't help the smile that split his face, his heart was jumping to a staccato beat as they headed through the curtain to get him dressed.

He plopped down on to the edge of the bed as David and Henry ran back out returning a few minutes later carrying Killian's best Pirate gear.

"You ready for this" David asked holding Killian's long coat up in front of him.

"Aye, more than" he grinned back

"Well, Let Operation Heart commence"


	79. Chapter 79

**Sorry for the lack of update yesterday but I had a date with baby snuggles that just couldn't wait, babies are just the best solution to a stressful week. :D**

 **Mixed emotions as this draws to a close, so happy that people seem to be loving my story and sad that it has to end... I could have broken this into two but figured you'd probably all throw rocks at me so enjoy this one LONG chapter.**

Hook slumped back onto the bed, chest heaving in and out. Getting his leather pants on had been a bigger struggle than any of them had anticipated and David now wondered if this had been such a good idea. He gave Henry a worried glance before turning back to the Pirate on the bed.

"You OK?"

Hook just continued to breath heavily for a few beats until he finally opened his eyes and grinned

"That was interesting!" he huffed out as he tried to sit himself up.

David and Henry were quick to move forward to help.

"You know you don't need to do this? Emma is gonna love you no matter what you are wearing." David said with concern

"Yeah Killian this is stupid, you're hurting yourself for no reason" Henry added

But the Pirate's grin fell from his face

"I am doing this, I lay in that hospital bed for weeks imagining this moment. If I have to put up with a bit of pain, well so bit it. Swan deserves the best and that is what she is going to get" steely determination across his face.

"OK OK " David held his hands up in mock surrender "But you know that coat weighs like, a tonne? I don't know how you are going to stand never mind walk across the room"

"I will manage" Hook met his eyes and David saw that he meant it.

They worked swiftly, firstly wrestling the Pirate into his black shirt then his favorite red vest. Hook looked beat, he had gone quite pale and had a definite film of sweat across his brow. David crouched down looking the Pirate in the face.

"You OK?"

Hook's eyes lifted and met his before he gave a simple nod

"Aye, just give me a minute" he said, chest still heaving

David was concerned as he watched the man in front of him, Hook shouldn't be in this much pain. Then a sudden thought struck him, gaze flying back to the Pirates face, eyes screwing up in suspicion.

"Did you take your medication this morning?"

The Pirate tried to avoid answering

"Where is my hook?"

"That can wait, answer my question" David already knew the answer, he could clearly see it in front of his face.

"I wanted to stay clear minded, it can wait" Hook said indignantly

"IDIOT" David yelled before turning to Henry "Can you go grab it Henry, Grandma will get it ready for you."

Hook looked annoyed as he looked back at him but David didn't care, he'd thank him later.

"This would have gone so much smoother if you'd taken it you know, do you just enjoy torturing yourself?"

The Pirate deflated in front of his very eyes.

"I am just truly sick of feeling like a damn corpse. I cannot think straight with that stuff in my head and simply staying awake is a task beyond me "

"Hook, today is not the day to go cold turkey. Today is about so much more than that. Do you really think Emma would want you in more pain? Or do you think she would just be happy that you are here by her side, Pirate gear or no Pirate gear"

He watched as Hook processed his words.

"I wanted everything to be perfect" he said in a quiet voice.

"And it still can be, we might just need to move the timescale back a bit. I really think you should get some sleep first. Don't worry, I'll keep Emma out of here, come on lie back on the bed, an hour from now you will feel much better, I promise."

Hook had looked like he was about to protest but in the end he just nodded his head conceding the point. David helped him to lie back as Henry returned.

Ten minutes later David stood on the other side of the curtain hands on his head in frustration, the Pirate was going to send him to an early grave with worry. He sighed and looked towards the bathroom, Emma was still inside, he needed a plan. Mary-Margaret eyed him with concern from the kitchen.

"Is Hook OK?"

"Not really, the idiot thought he could go cold turkey and still be able to function. I have convinced him to nap but we need to distract Emma for about an hour. Any ideas?"

Mary-Margaret gave him a sweet smile

"I think I can think of something, It's about time we had a bit of Mother Daughter bonding. I'll take her upstairs and help her pick out a nice dress then do her hair and makeup. I was never truly happy with the fact that she would probably be in her pajamas when Hook asked her. This will be perfect."

A few minutes later Emma emerged from the bathroom, her eyes immediately went to Hook's chair, a surprised look flitted across her face when she saw that he was not there.

"He's back in bed" David supplied

"I knew he wasn't alright" she immediately moved to go to her Pirate

David stood in her way "He's fine Emma, but he has JUST got to sleep, leave him be."

She raised her eyebrow in a suspicious look

"What's going on?" she asked, looking from David to Henry then Mary-Margaret

Henry gave a very convincing shrug but Mary-Margaret being the terrible liar that she is got a bit flustered and dropped the tray of freshly baked cookies that she had just pulled from the oven on to the floor. In the end it ended up being just the distraction that was needed.

"On no..." Mary-Margaret cried out "I don't have anymore cookie mix!"

David, Emma and Henry moved quickly to help, all picking up hot cookies from the kitchen floor.

"It's OK Grandma, the floor is clean, we don't care if they are a bit broken"

Mary-Margaret looked heart broken

"I just wanted everything to be perfect" she almost sobbed

"Hey, it's OK" Emma soothed "THIS is perfect, I'm home with all you guys, I don't care about all the small stuff."

Mary-Margaret looked much happier at this, they cleared the last cookies from the floor then stood, all four of them still wearing their Christmas pajamas. Mary-Margaret suddenly reached forward and took hold of Emma's hand and tugged her forward.

"I have an idea on how to make Hook feel better when he wakes up, come on. We are going to get you ready. I've got the PERFECT dress."

"I thought we were gonna just have a pajama day" Emma said "Nobody's coming over are they?"

"No but this will be nice for Hook, it's his first Christmas remember? I think we should all make an effort"

Emma seemed to think it over then a huge smile lit up her face

"I'm gonna make this a Christmas he won't forget, no offense Mom but your taste in dresses is slightly different to mine but that's OK 'cause I have the perfect dress that I picked up in New York and I have been dying to wear it for months but Storybrooke life doesn't really call for it often"

Emma moved forward, now pulling her Mother instead of the other way round.

"Henry, you can wear the nice shirt that Grandma got you for your school Christmas party, Dad... you can sort yourself out but pick something NICE. I'll help Hook later, when he wakes up"

David loved seeing her so happy as she pulled Mary-Margaret up the metal stairs still talking excitedly in hushed tones. Well that had gone better than planned.

ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIME

Killian awoke sometime later, he lay on his back trying to sort through his whirling thoughts when a voice suddenly broke through from above. He could hear Emma and her Mother laughing and shushing each other in the room directly above him, he smiled as he listened.

"He's gonna pee his pants" Emma giggled

"Oh, I hope not" Mary-Margaret added with a snort then the two of them shushed each other

"She's getting ready for you Pirate" David's voice came from the foot of the bed

Killian looked over to see David and Henry back by his bed

"You ready to get this done this time?" David asked

"Aye" Killian pulled himself up and swung his still bare feet over the edge of the bed.

"Right, Henry you grab socks and his boots, I'll get to work on your brace then I'm sorry but you'll need to do your own makeup" he added with a laugh

"I do not wear makeup, kohl is NOT makeup!" Killian gave him a death glare

"Keep telling yourself that" the Prince said lifting an eyebrow.

In no time at all Killian sat with a wide grin on his face as Henry held a mirror up for him, he had managed to do his own kohl for the first time in weeks and he looked good. The only remaining parts of his attire were to be left until the last minute, the less time he needed to carry around the extra weight of his coat the better and he was still unsure if he would be able to wear his usual belts, David had tried to put them on before but it had been too painful on his still healing hip as the extra weight sat directly across the point where the metal plate lay beneath his skin but by this time he didn't care, he just wanted to get on with it.

A few minutes later he could hear Mary-Margaret and Emma coming down the stairs.

"Where is everyone?" Emma whispered

"We're in here Emma, we'll be out in a minute. Henry and I decided to help Hook get ready when he woke up as you were busy getting yourself ready, hang on we'll be right out" David yelled

Killian's heart started thumping in his chest, this was really happening. He grinned widely as David extended his arm out to haul him from the bed. In the end he managed the coat but the belts remained on the bed, it would have been one step too far, as it was Killian was unsure whether he would make it very far, the weight of the leather seemed to be perpetually pulling him towards the ground. Gods, where had his strength gone? He had worn this coat for more years than he cared to mention but right here right now it felt very foreign to him. He pulled in a deep breath and readied himself for the off.

"Emma, go stand in front of the Christmas tree" David yelled making Killian jump, his nerves were in tatters

"What? Why?" her disembodied voice carried from the other room sounding confused

"Because that's where Hook wants you to stand, would you just do it already before this idiot is too tired to move more than two paces" David had the cheek to throw him a wink, making out that the insult was not meant but Killian knew better.

"Alright, I'm here, now what is going on?" Emma sounded curious now

They moved off slowly, Henry running forward to pull the curtain back, David at his left hand side holding his arm tightly, Killian could also feel his hand near his lower back, he should have been annoyed by it, he could manage just fine but right now he was too concerned with not falling on his rear to care. The moment Emma came into view he lost his momentum, gasping in a breath. She stood, the picture of beauty in front of the lit tree. She wore a deep red floating dress, that came down to mid calf and hugged her top half perfectly, she was beyond words. She met his eyes and her face lit up when she saw what he was wearing.

"You did this for me?" she started to move towards him

"Swan, stay where you are, I want to keep this memory in my mind for many years to come. Let me come to you" He said firmly

She sighed at him but stayed put. The journey across the small apartment was a long one but one that he would not have changed for the world and in minutes he was by her side. He took her extended hand as David brought him to her side and grinned widely at her.

"Hello Pirate, I've missed you" she said with teary eyes

"And I you, Love" the words caught in his own throat, the emotion of the minute threatening to over take him

David stepped back and left the two standing face to face in front of the tree.

"Love, I may look like a Pirate but I gave that all up for you, well as much as any Pirate can" he added with a chuckle

She nodded but remained silent, a single tear tumbled down her cheek. He wiped it away with his thumb as he cupped her face lovingly with his hand and she lent into it snuggling his hand, eyes falling closed.

"I was a Pirate for far too many years, I took what I wanted when I wanted with no regard for others, too caught up in my own pain to see that I was inflicting far too much on the world in return. You made me realize that I did not need to be that man, you saw the good in me when no other did. From the moment we met you captured my heart. I tried to fight it but you also took my soul and held it tight never letting it go. I saw it in you too, even when you left me at the top of that beanstalk I could see your inner battle, you wanted to trust me even back then but you too had been hurt by life so you did not trust yourself."

He shifted his feet slightly as the weight of the coat seemed to be doubling by the minute. Her brow furrowed slightly in concern but he plowed on regardless.

"That day in the Giant's Castle, do you remember what I asked you about the treasure up there?"

"Yeah, you wondered how much we could carry with us" Emma laughed out

"Aye Love but we took only the compass... well, only the compass and one gold coin. That gold coin was the last piece of treasure that I have taken, I have kept it on my person nearly every day since then" he patted the small pocket on his vest to show where he kept it.

"It was a reminder of where I had come from." He reached into the pocket and brought out something in his fist.

"You are my final treasure Swan, you know that, do you not? I need nothing more so it only seemed fitting that I gave the coin to you." he lifted his closed fist and held it out in front of him but jerked it back slightly when she moved to take it.

"I remember what you said to me you know?" he added cryptically, quirking an eyebrow

"What?" she shook her head, confused. "When?"

"I Love you Killian Jones, do you hear me you stubborn Pirate? I Emma Swan am in love with you Killian Jones, now it's up to you to get better so that I can hear you say those words back to me, I want to hear them Killian. More than anything else in the world..." he recited then carried on

"That first night, I heard you. Your words came back to me in sleep at first, they stayed with me all through these last few weeks and helped me get to this point right here so that I could say these words back to you."

He hobbled slightly to make sure that his footing was sure, pulled in a deep breath and locked his eyes on hers.

"I love you Emma Swan, do you hear me? I Killian Jones am in love with you Emma Swan and I want to spend the rest of my life proving to you that I am so much more than the Pirate I once was. So here, I give you my last piece of loot" he held out his fist but again stopped just short of handing off his prize "Wait, this is not quite right, Henry m' Lad, your assistance if you please."

Henry rushed forward, grinning widely, Killian moved slightly to block Emma's view of what they were doing. He handed the ring to Henry with a wink then the boy moved to his Mother's side. Killian moved back to his former spot.

"What is going on?" Emma sounded exasperated now

"Patience woman, let me have my moment" Killian tugged her left hand placing it on his hook that he held out in front of himself before lovingly tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"Henry!" he said giving the boy a nod before turning back to Emma and schooling his features to show his sincerity

"Emma Swan, I do believe that I have made my feelings for you very clear, so it is with much hope that I ask you this. Will you do me the great honor of agreeing to be my lawfully wedded wife?"

Henry dropped to one knee, head hung low by their side and unfurled his fist between them to reveal a beautiful ornate gold ring adorned with a single diamond. Killian took the ring in his fingers and turned his hopeful face back to Emma.

"I thought that this was a much better use of a single gold coin, there was just about enough gold to make this and a simple gold band for the day if you will have me?" he said hopefully

"Oh God Killian, of course I'll marry you" Emma gushed out launching herself forward and planting her lips firmly on his.

Relief flowed through him as the rest of the Charming's cheered and yelled, Emma pulled back and grinned widely at him. At that moment in time he could have worn six leather coats, he truly felt like he could fly he was so happy.

"Well, do I get my ring or what?" she laughed

"Aye Love" he simply replied taking her left hand and quickly slipping the ring into place before pulling her back to his lips once more.

The rest of the Charming's seemed to melt into the background as he held her in his arms, she turned to face the tree still close to his front and he snaked his arms around her and dropped his chin into her shoulder. Just then right on cue his song started playing, the Prince's timing was perfect. Emma tried to move from his front to see what was going on but he held her tight.

"Just listen Love" he whispered "This is our song, it got me through my toughest nights, reminding me of where I have come from to be here with you and I wouldn't change a thing if it meant that I would not be standing right here right now with you in my arms."

The song played and it was like it was written just for them as they swayed in each other arms by the dancing lights of the tree.

All of the lights land on you  
The rest of the world fades from view  
And all of the love I see  
Please please say you feel it too  
And all of the noise I hear inside  
Restless and loud, unspoken and wild  
And all that you need to say  
To make it all go away  
It's that you feel the same way too

And I know  
The scariest part is letting go  
'Cause love is a ghost you can't control  
I promise you the truth can't hurt us now  
So let the words slip out of your mouth

And all of the steps that led me to you  
And all of the hell I had you walk through  
But I wouldn't trade a day for the chance to say  
My love, I'm in love with you

And I know  
The scariest part is letting go  
'Cause love is a ghost you can't control  
I promise you the truth can't hurt us now  
So let the words slip out of your mouth

I know that we're both afraid  
We both made the same mistakes  
An open heart is an open wound to you  
And in the wind there's a heavy choice  
Love has a quiet voice  
Still you mind, now I'm yours to choose

And I know  
The scariest part is letting go  
Let my love be the light that guides you home

And I know  
The scariest part is letting go  
'Cause love is a ghost you can't control  
I promise you the truth can't hurt us now  
So let the words slip out of your mouth

The song finished and Emma turned to face him, eyes locking with his. Her tears shining brightly on her happy face, she sighed a contented sigh.

"I Love you"

 **Just the epilogue to go now, this makes me happy and sad all rolled into one**

 **Credit for the lyrics to "The Words" of course go to Christina Perri and if any of you lovely peeps have not watched the video to this beautiful song firstly slap yourself in the face then head over to you tube where you will find it in all it's glory.**

 **Enjoy your Sunday. xx**


	80. Chapter 80

**So I finally bring this tale to an end with great sadness. Many thanks to all my readers and for the VERY kind reviews that have been left, some of them have truly touched my heart with the nice comments.**

 **I started this fic as a kind of therapy after going through a really terrible time in my life and it has REALLY helped me gain some confidence. I never dreamed that the feedback that I have received would be so positive, I'm just a wee lass from Scotland who has a love for OUAT and found a way to share that love with others. So Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope to see you all very soon when I start on my next fic, look out for it, it's called "The Promise I intend to Keep" and I should be able to start it shortly.**

 **As always please feel free to leave a review once you are done and you'll make this Oncer very happy.**

A few months later...

Emma stood on the deck of the Jolly Roger watching her man as he stood excitedly talking with her Son. They stood a short way off at the bottom of the steps to the quarter deck surrounded by boxes full of supplies for moving in day. The sun was shining brightly and it truly felt like the season had changed as the warm rays shone down on them. Her Mom stood by her side with Neal perched on her hip, she lent over and whispered in a low tone

"Look how happy they are"

Emma couldn't help but smile wider.

"They're good for each other... I worried for Henry when he lost Neal. I know that Hook will never replace him but I think that if there was anyone else in the world that Neal would have trusted the task of looking after his Son too it would have been Hook"

Her Dad emerged through the door to the Captain's quarters seconds later.

"Come on you guys, less chat more work, I want this done before dinner and you two standing chatting is getting nothing done quick" he said harshly

"Calm yourself Mate, we have all the time in the world, once the boxes are below deck we can unpack them at anytime. I too plan on "Being Done" by dinner time"

"See, now you say that but I have yet to see you actually lift a finger" David threw back

Hook just gave a mirthful laugh "Why would I when I have a trusty crew to do it for me? Captain's prerogative"

"Are you calling me crew?!... I am not YOUR crew, Son!"

Emma knew that her Dad calling Hook "Son" was like a red rag to a bull, she moved quickly to step between them putting her hands up to silence them both and said two words.

"Christmas Pajamas"

They both looked murderous before her Dad turned, grabbed another box and headed back below deck with Henry in tow. Hook stood grinning like an idiot.

"What are you grinning at? I think you'll find that there are now two Captain's on this ship and this one is telling you to move your ass." she said raising her brow at his shocked face.

His face morphed from one of shock to one of mischief

"Aye Aye Cap'ain" he said in a loud clear voice as he saluted her before he grabbed a box from the steps and walking towards the same door her Dad had walked through seconds before.

She watched as he adjusted his stride so that he was leading off down the steps on the correct leg and disappeared from sight through the door. For the most part he was fully recovered but his hip still gave him occasional pain especially if he had spent a lot of time on his feet throughout the day or like now when he was maneuvering up and down stairs. He never complained, he would just take some deep breaths until his pain settled then carried on like nothing had happened, she hoped that this would eventually fade but there was a very real possibility that it would never fully go.

"Glad to see you have put an end to their silly game, you'll need to send me that photo, it seems that a little threat now and again has the desired effect on both of them" Her Mom said as she too headed towards the steps.

Emma followed her, they both headed to the galley where there were more piles of boxes to be unpacked. She loved the color that they had chosen to paint the woodwork in, they had picked a warm yellow, it brought a brightness to the once long dark room. They had had a few more cabinets fitted too and Marco had done a fantastic job of hand making them to match the ones that they already had.

Neal was settled into a makeshift crib made out of a spare cardboard box when he fell asleep a short time later. They worked hard over the next couple of hours and eventually they both stood back with satisfied smiles as they look in the room that had a much more homely feel now that they were finished. It would be even better when they went to the grocery store tomorrow to get food supplies.

Henry came through the door a HUGE smile on his face.

"You should see my room Mom it's AWESOME. I can either sleep in one of the six beds or I can use the hammock that Grandpa and Killian have hung across it for me. Grandpa just set up my TV and the picture is perfect, I cannot wait to go to bed tonight."

"That's great Kid, where's Grandpa and Hook now?"

"They went to the Hold, Grandpa was going to show Killian how to work Netflix" he said with a silly grin.

"I'll send him up Emma" her Mom said bending down and retrieving Neal from his nap "I'm going to head back to the loft to start on dinner, Henry can you help me please?"

"Sure Grandma, I'll meet you at the truck, I just want to grab something from my room first" he said dashing from the room.

Emma hugged her Mom goodbye and moved back to the long bench in the middle of the room, breaking down the last of the empty cardboard boxes and folding them into one large one. She had been working for a few minutes when she heard her Dad's truck start outside and drive away. She carried on expecting Hook to arrive any minute but ten minutes later and he hadn't arrived. She furrowed her brow in concern then had a thought, her Dad had been setting up Netflix, Hook had probably got sucked into watching something and lost track of time. She smiled to herself and headed to the door. She was just about to turn right towards the hold when she heard a loud crashing noise from the Captain's Quarters and she was running before she had even had time to think.

Emma burst through the cabin door to find her worst nightmare, Hook lay on his right side with his back to her on the floor next to the new unit that they had just had fitted and he wasn't moving. Her stomach dropped as she took in his prone figure, what had happened?

"HOOK!" she yelled

To her utter surprise he jumped, and cursed as his head hit the bottom of the unit.

"Gods Swan, what were you thinking?" he complained as he sat himself up rubbing the sore spot on his temple.

"What was I Thinking?! I was thinking that I heard a loud crash then I found you lying on the floor and you weren't moving. What were you doing?" she yelled back coming down onto her knees next to him

"I knocked the box off of the table and one of your many trinkets rolled under the new unit, I was trying to retrieve it"

Then it hit her, he was lying down as he still found it impossible to crouch or kneel due to his hip. Relief flooded through her, then guilt as she saw the large goose egg that was already raising itself on his head. She reached forward and placed her hand on the side of her face.

"I'm so sorry, I thought that you had fallen. I thought that you had hurt yourself" she said in a low voice

"It's alright Love, I am fine. No real harm done" he said with a wince as her fingers came to a stop over his newest bump.

She closed her eyes and concentrated hard, hearing Regina's voice in her head as clear as if she were standing by her side.

"Feel the magic Swan, don't just think it, FEEL it. Healing magic is the hardest of all to control. Use your goodness, use your love and FEEL what you want to do"

She sucked in a deep breath and suddenly felt her hand getting warm, her eyes flew open to see a bright white light emanating from her fingertips and the lump disappearing from Hook's head, in seconds it was over and the bruise was gone, not a mark was left.

"You're a bloody wonder Swan" he grinned widely "You did it"

"Yeah, yeah I did, didn't I?" she grinned back "I had the right motivation... you"

The grin fell from his face as she lent forward and pulled him into a searing kiss, his hand came up and tangled in her hair as he deepened it. Her world tilted on it's axis for a few seconds as she got lost in the feeling but eventually she had to pull back to pull some oxygen into her lungs.

"I have a feeling we are going to be late for dinner" she said in a low husky tone

"I can handle that... let's just say that something came up" he gave her his best smoldering look and she couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips.

"Alright Captain Innuendo, I'll give you that one" she lent forward and kissed him sweetly.

"Perhaps we could do this somewhere a little more comfortable" he said quirking his eye towards the bed

Emma followed his gaze and gasped as she finally saw what he had been up to. The bed had a new patchwork quilt on it and what looked like over a hundred red roses lay on and around the bed. Emma jumped up and walked slowly over. There on the quilt in the middle of the bed was a beautiful design in the shape of a heart but it wasn't just any heart. One side was made from the long elegant head and neck of a beautiful white swan and the other side was made from a giant representation of her Pirate's very own hook. She felt the tears well up before she could stop them and turned back to him as he still sat on the floor.

"Killian, it's beautiful. I love it" she grinned "Come on, let's get you up"

She moved forward and took hold of his extended arms and tugged him upright.

"Somehow Swan, I don't think that is going to be a problem right now" he grinned widely as he tugged her to his front

Emma just grinned at his terrible pun, yes it looked like dinner may become late supper but right now food was the last thing on her mind as she tugged him towards their bed already stripping his clothes form his body. God help anybody that interrupted them now, she had her magic well and truly under control and she was not afraid to use it.

 **~The End~**


End file.
